Connections
by IchiCanDoIt
Summary: A strange child appears in soul society, wielding orange hair and a love for bunnies. Who is she, and where is she from? Better yet, how will this effect those around her? Ichi/Ruki Rated M for later chapters.
1. Out of the sky

Hello, everyone! Been reading fan fiction for a while, but never really got the urge to write one until i had this idea. Don't be too harsh. Let me know if i'm spelling anything wrong! Review if you feel the need.

Discalimer: Sadly, i don't own bleach. Tite Kubo, i envy you.

Soul Society, **Seireitei, **1st squad Captain Yamamoto's meeting room.

"Good morning everyone

"Good morning everyone. Thank you for responding to my summons so early in the morning." General Yamamoto spoke with strength and wisdom, even before the sun rose. _I will need all of my knowledge and patience today_, he thought to himself.

Yamamoto stared out across the large room, and mentally noted that all of his captains were present, as well as young Rukia Kuchki, and that strange shinigami representative, Ichigo Kurosaki. He noted the many strange stares that the two received from the captains. Usually the captain meetings were reserved for captains only. This, however, was a special occasion.

"If you could all take a seat, we can begin the meeting," he said.

"Must we really sit? These meetings never take very long," captain Hitsugaya whined. He didn't want to be amongst his present company for any longer than he needed to, after all.

"Yes, captain Hitsugaya. I'm afraid that what I must tell you is, in fact, a long and rather unusual story. Feel free to remain standing. I, however," he said while gently flopping down on his cushion, "would much prefer to sit through such tedious times."

Rolling his eyes, the small captain followed suit.

"Now, I have gathered you all here today to discuss with you the latest threat to soul society. Before any of you get too excited, we are not in any danger at the present time," Yamamoto said as he shot a glare at Captain Zaraki, whose eyes had grown large with expectation. "Rather, we are just beginning a long stretch of peace. The latest information reveals……"

"AAAAAGHHH! The room looked up in shock to see the cause of the commotion. Their eyes fell on what looked like a flat circular tray falling from high above. As suddenly as it appeared, a second form appeared below the tray. In a flash of orange and black, the forms collided and fell toward the floor.

thump

The captains looked on in awe to see a small orange haired child lying in the crook of Yamamoto's arm, trying to find her way out of a set of obviously too large robes. She gazed up at the Old Captain and gave a small smile. "Thank you Old Man Yama" she said in a small but strong voice. With the grace of a gazelle, she grabbed the tray and leapt to the floor. It was at this moment that she looked up to take in her surroundings.

"Eep!" She gave a slight squeal and immediately knelt before her attentive audience. "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your meeting. But the cookies…they were gonna fall..and it took me forever to make them…and all I could do was to teleport them above me…but there wasn't enough room in the kitchen….so I sent them in here…and then myself…and…..i'm sorry." She finished in a whisper, obviously very embarrassed at her predicament.

"Now, now, Anju. There's no need to be embarrassed. You're amongst friends," the old man said in what was quite possibly the softest, most comforting voice that his present company had ever heard from him. "I was just starting on my explanation."

Yamamoto turned to his subordinates and gave what could almost be considered as a smile. "Everyone, I would like to introduce to you the savior of soul society: Anju Kuchki."

It took less than a heartbeat to receive a reaction. "No offense, commander general, but that _thing_ is without a doubt, not a member of the Kuchki family." Came Byakuya Kuchki's voice from across the room. But as soon as he looked up to continue his rant, he was face-down on the floor.

"You never change, do you…uncle?" Anju's voice contained a mixture between sarcasm and seething hatred.

"Let him up, Araki. His attitude cannot be helped after all. He does not know the full story." Even Old Man Yama's voice contained a hint of amusement at Captain Kuchki's predicament.

"Yes Old Man Yama." Anju gave a sigh, and as suddenly as he had gone down, Byakuya stood up.

"How dare you! Just who do you think you are?" Byakuya was not amused. That child had held him down to the floor…but how?

"As General Yamamoto said……I am Anju Kuchki, newest member of the Kuchki family, and savior of soul society. Want a cookie, uncle?" She said as she offered him a cookie off of the tray she held, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Calm down, Byakuya. I shall explain all in due time. Please take your seat." Although Byakuya was thoroughly confused and beyond aggravated, he obeyed the old captain's orders. "Thank you. Now, Anju, would you like to do the honors?"

"Um…I guess so." The small child stepped toward the group in front of her and took a breath. "Good morning everyone." She took a bow. "It's nice to meet you all. As Old Man Yama said, I'm Anju Kuchki. I've come here from the future." Before continuing, she grabbed a small necklace from around her neck and held it in front of her, looking almost afraid for the first time since she entered the room.

"It's alright, dear. Please continue," Yamamoto's voice came from across the room.

"Three hundred years from now, a terrible force will try to overtake soul society. The Ritsuzen. When the battle against Aizen was won, millions of small pieces of spiritual energy were left to linger in Hueco Mundo. Over time, these pieces came together, and developed into a monster. In my time, we knew nothing of this horror. That is, until it opened the barrier between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. We were caught entirely off guard." Tears began to roll down the cheeks of the tiny girl. "Almost everything was destroyed. So many lives were lost….Which is why I'm here now." Her voice regained strength and resolve, and she continued. "Momma and Daddy sent me back so that I could help prepare everyone…" but she was cut off.

"If such a threat did exist, why would they send a child to help us?" Byakuya was still angry, and refused to accept any of her words. But instead of lashing out at him again, Anju turned with a small smile.

"It was your idea. Does this look familiar to you?" She asked, holding out a black stone the size of her hand.

The look on Byakuya's face was priceless. "Where did you get that, child? That is the Kuchki family time management device…"

"It's very special, only used in the most dire situations. Yes, those were your words. Like I said, the situation in the future soul society is very grave. You gave me this gem and told me to come back here, to this time and prepare everyone, so we could stand a chance against the Ritsuzen."

Byakuya pondered this for a moment, and decided that if Old Man Yama trusted her, than she was probably telling the truth. But something puzzled him. "And what is that chain you keep in your other hand?"

Anju's eyes grew big. She smiled a smile that looked far too large for a child so small, and allowed the chain to extend toward the ground. At the end was a small, happy, bunny pendant.

"Chappy!" Rukia realized the awkwardness of her random comment and blushed. But what she thought she saw took her by surprise. There, in the child's hand, was the same chappy necklace that Ichigo had gotten her for Christmas the previous year. She reached up to her neck to find it there, perfectly safe. How, then, could this strange child have the same one?

"Yes. This is the Chappy necklace momma gave me before I left." Anju turned to Rukia. "She said that daddy had given it to her a long time ago. She said it would keep me safe, and would remind me how much she and daddy loved me."

"Oi! Wait just one minute you little punk." Ichigo stood up and started toward the befuddled child. That's the necklace I got Rukia for Christmas. How did you….." And then it dawned on him. "No. Wait…Orange hair, Rukia's chappy necklace, Kuchki……"

"Looks like you've figured it out, father."

A/N

This looks like a good place to stop for Ch. 1. I've got more but i need some feedback to see if i should continue. Lemme know! Thanks : )


	2. Getting to know you

Thanks to the reviewers! I very much appreciate input and feedback. This is also a very short chapter. The next bit is continuations of this chapter, but it's not done yet so i figured i'd give you a little more before i finished ti up. I think i'll have it done by the end of the evening. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Who do i look like? Tite Kubo? Of corse not it's only a costume. how could i ever own bleach? laughs

Many things happened together at this moment.

Captain Kyouraku Shunsui's hat fell off his head.

Captain Ukitake Juushirou spit out the mouthful of water he had be drinking.

Captain Unohana Retsu leaned foreward to see so quickly, she lost her balance and fell flat on her face.

And finally, Rukia said in a whisper, "I knew that I knew her…."

"Alright everyone, lets just calm down and relax. Nothing will be solved by going into chaos. "Yamamoto's voice boomed above all of the insanity that seemed to pop up at Anju's statement.

At that moment, Rukia stood up, and began walking toward Anju. Her face was half-shock, half-relief. She reached the child, and put her hand out, as if asking for Anju to take it. An understanding grew between the two Kuchki women then, and Anju took Rukia's hand. "Welcome home," Rukia said in a quiet, loving voice. The child's face lit up and she took her mother's hand.

"You can't be serious. Rukia! What are you doing? Don't you get what she's insinuating?" Ichigo could barely think. A child of Rukia's? His child with Rukia? How on earth could that be?

"Ichi?" Rukia's voice was unlike he had ever heard it before. She looked at him and smiled. What was that in her eyes? Hope? Happiness? Love? Before he could react, Rukia took his hand in her own and guided him back to their places on the floor. She pulled the small girl into her lap, and nodded for Captain Yamamoto to continue with whatever he had to say.

"Well, now that that matter is settled, let us continue in our discussion. Anju is no ordinary child. She has already been through the shinigami academy. In fact, she finished in the second fastest time recorded, coming in only slightly behind Captain Hitsugaya." General Yamamoto felt the room become tense at his words. He allowed his statement to sink in, and continued. "As expected, Anju, as well as her abilities, are unique among shinigami. She has all of the best qualities from each of her parents. As you all witnessed earlier, she was able to floor Captain Kuchki simply with her riatsu. Like her father she has a monsterous riatsu. However, unlike Ichigo, she is able to control said power. In fact, she can control it so well, that she is able to concentrate her riatsu into a select area, and use it as a weapon, similar to increasing gravity on a certain person, or persons."

Byakuya's face stiffened at this comment.

"Anju also possesses her mother's knack for kidou. If you would all follow me outside," he said as he stood up and walked toward the door, "We shall demonstrate." Anju's eyes opened wide, and she jumped out of Rukia's lap. "But….Old man Yama…." She tried to dissuade the old captain from putting on a show, but her efforts were in vain.

"If things are going to run smoothly, you need to show your skills, child. The others will need to trust you, and they won't be able to do that without a bit of confidence on your part." The old man knew that if the other captains were ever going to trust Anju, they would need to get to know her. He also knew that the child was modest, and a bit shy, so he would undoubtedly have to be firm with her. He led the curious group out into a small clearing away from any buildings.

"Alright, Anju, you can start with your kidou." He pointed to a far away target. Anju hesitated briefly, but upon seeing the old man's waiting face, she held up a hand, closed her eyes, and let heself go.

A bright blue light overcame the open field as the group looked on in shock. As soon as it had come, the light disappeared. The target was gone, as was the stick holding it up, the ground below it, and the hill of land behind it.

"As you can see, Anju can use kidou without even speaking the incantations. Simply thinking them is enough to do terrible damage. Thank you, Anju. Lets move on to your sword." The old man now smiled like none had ever seen before. He was truly happy, and almost proud.

"Yes, sir." She said, still reluctant.

"Anju's sword is also unique. It is the first and only Earth type zanpactou." With the commander's words, Anju swept her hand up over her shoulder, and grabbed onto the air there. At first, everyone was confused. Anju held no visible sword on her person. But before anyone could question this, a gasp came from somewhere within the crowd.

Appearing out of thin air was a beautiful almost dark turquoise colored sword. The ribbon-wrapped hilt appeared inside of her half-closed hand. Tiny cotton blossoms lined the sides of the hilt. Small, almost imperceptible ribbons dangled from the base of each. The guard appeared next, a series of small, spirally arranged spikes. Out from the now fully formed base came the small ribbon-wrapped shape of a sword.

Anju brought the now fully-formed sword over her shoulder and held it in front of her. She looked up to a shocked crowd. "Before you ask, no my sword does not have the power of invisibility. As Yama said, Zanasazi is an earth-type zanpactou. Its power stems from the earth itself. The most convenient way to hold my sword is in the wind."

And with that statement the ribbon around the sword unraveled in a beautiful show of elegance, reversed direction, and wrapped up Anju's arm. Another layer of ribbon unraveled and hung loosely in the wind below the sword "The ribbons are not just for decoration. The ones on the hilt are sensitive to changes in the wind, and electricity. Because Zana and I share power, and are a team, I get feedback from her ribbons. The large ribbon that is now around my arm is like a shield. It's as strong as my sword, and just as sharp. It cuts anything it touches by vibrating at extremely high frequencies. The loose ribbon can fend off attacks from behind….if anyone can catch me." And with that, she disappeared. The crowd had only seconds to ponder her absence before she returned, bearing a cup of water with a chappy picture on it.

"My movement is not shunpo. Although I have superior shunpo skills, I much prefer to simply use the wind. I am able to tap into Zana's power and travel through the particles in the air. It's much faster than shunpo." The blush on her face was now coupled with a newfound confidence in herself. She looked toward the commander for a brief moment, received a nod, and said "Breathe, Zanasazi."

A/N

The next chapter will feature Anju's sword release and some other interesting bits to really get the story moving. Should be up tonight (hopefully) if the intarwebs i'm mooching from my neighbor's house don't die crosses fingers

See ya then


	3. Daughter Nature

And as promised, here is the continuation of Anju's demonstration. This is all for tonight, but i will undoubtedly post another chapter tomorrow. Thanks again to all who review!

A heavy riatsu overcame the gathered captains as Anju released her sword

A heavy riatsu overcame the gathered captains as Anju released her sword. The sun dimmed slightly, and the wind picked up. Spirit particles from the earth, wind, water, and even the sun came together and formed a vortex around the young girl as the crowd backed up fearfully. When the swirling came to a halt, everyone was once again in awe. Anju's sword had become only slightly larger in size. However, the ribbon that had formed her arm shield had grown in length, and now went around her shoulders, and down onto her other arm. Most shocking of all was the pair of crimson wings that were now affixed on Anju's back. With a glance upward, she moved her wings effortlessly and rose up into the air, not disturbing the air at all.

"With my sword release comes a greater connection to the earth. My sword hand controls the solid structures of the earth itself." She gave a slight motion with her sword and an entire block of the land below her broke free and drifted up toward her as if it weighed nothing. "My other hand controls water." As this hand lifted, water from a nearby pond flowed out of its pit in the ground and snaked its way up to where Anju now sat cross-legged as if atop an invisible chair. "My wings, of course, control the air." She made a tiny, almost imperceptible movement with her wings, and a sudden gust of wind swept the water up and into the block of earth. "I can even combine these elements to form barriers, weapons," she looked down at the awed group below, "and even fourteen seats for a captive audience." And with this, each of the captains, as well as Ichigo and Rukia were lifted a foot off the ground. It took them a moment, but they soon realized what was going on.

"She made us air chairs?" Astonishment was rarely found in Captain Hitsugaya's voice. However, for the moment, he forgot his grown up guise and allowed himself to truly enjoy the events around him.

"I simply condensed the air underneath you. That's why it feels so solid. If you don't like it I can…." She started to wave her hand to remove the chair under the small white-haired captiain, but he protested immediately.

"No! There's no need for that! Please, continue." He tried to sound convincing, and exhaled lightly when he realized that she had gone back to her show and would not take his comfortable chair away.

"Anju," came the old commander's voice, "please move on to Bankai, we do not have all day." Disbelief traveled across the faces of the now seated group. How could a tiny child like this have achieved bankai?

"Yes sir." Anju closed her eyes and concentrated. "Bankai." If the wind had been a simple storm before, it was now a raging hurricane. The sitting group below had to brace themselves against their chairs to not be blown off. When the storm cleared, they looked up to see a green blur, which slowly faded into Anju's small form. This time, however, she was not simply Anju. Her skin had turned a deep shade of green. Her sword glowed with a shade not too terribly different than that of her skin, and the ribbons were now gone. The riatsu coming from the tiny child was far beyond what any of the captains had ever experienced. But none had the opportunity to even comprehend this before the girl started to explain.

"My bankai is very unique. With it, I gain some of the attributes of creatures that I have once encountered. For instance, my skin is green now. This is because the ribbons on the end that once formed shields are now interwoven with my skin." She turned her head and with a flick of her wrist, she made the block of earth, now as sharp and solid as a dagger, charge toward her outstretched arm. Rukia gasped, worrying that her future child would be hurt. However, the second the dagger reached her skin, it shattered into pieces.

"There has only been one person who has been able to cut me while in this form: the high master of the Ritsuzen. It seems my skin was weak to his particular form of evil." Her face grew sad at this statement. It was as if the painful memories that haunted the poor child were swarming just behind her eyes.

"However," she began as she moved down out of the sky and walked to a tree, my skin is not quite so simply explained. I have spent many long months traveling the real world with my parents. Every place I've visited has added to my abilities in bankai. Since my connection with nature is so intense, I am able to befriend even the most fearsome of animals." Her smile broadened at the memory now replacing the dark thoughts that had just plagued her moments ago. "We went to Africa about ten years ago. I got to visit the elephants at the orphanage in Nairobi. And we went out into the Kalahari desert to see the meerkats!" Her voice was lighter than the air she was sitting in. "I wandered off once and wound up near a pack of lions. Mom was so worried, she nearly had a heart attack. We didn't know the extent of my animal diplomacy. But it was enough that I was able to settle in with the lions and pet their cubs." She was positively beaming. "

Ever since then my bankai has been changing. With each new animal I meet, I seem to gain an attribute of that animal, and am able to call upon it when I need to. For example…I can easily imitate the skin of a chameleon." Half of her body now stood in front of the trunk of the tree. This half turned brown, subtle variations matching the bark on the trunk. Her other half turned almost the color of the sky behind her, allowing her to practically blend into her surroundings. She allowed her audience to ponder this for a minute before turning back to her previous green.

"Like many frogs in the rain forests, I can produce poison through my skin." She lifted a tiny arm and within seconds, a slimy glistening coat appeared on her skin. "I won't illustrate the effects of this poison. It's hard enough to replace captains without them knowing their predecessor had been poisoned." A tiny smile graced her face and she let out a small giggle.

"My sword also shares in the benefits of nature. It too can produce certain poisons, paralyzing agents, and the like. I shant demonstrate this either. No need to send anyone to the 4'th squad." Her voice, for the first time, contained confidence, and sarcasm.

"Another helpful ability is one I gained when I took that trip to Kenya. Vacations are so useful…" she trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. However, the moment didn't last long. Before her comrades, Anju opened her mouth and paused. From her tiny jaws, two teeth from the bottom, and the same two from the top started to grow. In seconds, they resembled the teeth of a lion, only shorter to accommodate for the young girl's tiny mouth. "I have yet to use these on anyone, as they are my most recent discovery." She ran her tongue across one of the teeth gently. "They don't have any poison or anything, but they can rip a limb off or crush an airway better than anything else I've encountered.

She paused for a moment and considered her words. "Though these are all of the abilities that I know about at this time, I discover new ones when I encounter new animals, or when the need arises for the attribute of an animal I've met in the past." She looked at the commander. "Is that everything?"

Yamamoto smiled. "Yes, dear. Thank you for indulging an old man. Everyone," he paused as Anju returned to her normal state and the crowd drifted down gently off of their seats, "I hope you will all learn to accept Anju into our home, and aid her when she needs assistance. She has much to teach us, if we are willing to learn. But for now, you may return to your squads and relay what you wish. It's far past time for an old man's tea." The general and captains began to scatter slowly, talking to each other about what they had just witnessed. Byakuya simply glared at Anju, and handed her a letter.

A/N  
oooo i wonder what could be in that letter? I wonder if i even know yet? Anyhoo...thanks as always for reading. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as i enjoy writing it. I hadn't seen anything else out there like this so hopefully it's original.

Until tomorrow then. G'night everyone!


	4. Silly Kenchan

Happy 4'th of July fellow Americans! Another short transitory chapter. I know there's not been much perspective, not much insight into the minds of most, but i've got to get a little bit of introductory stuff out of the way. I promise there'll be entire chapters dedicated to varying people's perspectives.

Thanks again for the reviews! Special thanks to marislily for correcting me on Kuchiki. The place i looked up the spelling was wrong p And no, Ichigo and Rukia are not lovers...yet.

Just a small bit of backstory that i've just now added to the first chapter, the time period is not to terribly long after the Winter War. Ichigo and Rukia have gone back to living in the real world as friends. Squad 9 has a new captain, though i haven't decided on his name yet. The third squad, of course, has Shusuke Amagai. Hence the 14 chairs in ch 3 (12 captains, ichi, ruki). 5'th squad doesn't have a captain...yet. That's pretty much it.

Thanks for reading )

"_A room has been set up for you in the Kuchiki house, compliments of Commander Yamamoto. The servants will assist you in settling in. Try not to get in anyone's way."_

"Oh uncle." Anju read the note to herself and shook her head. She should have expected his cold, unwelcome demeanor, but couldn't help but hope that perhaps he could be less of a prick in this time. Sighing, she put the letter away and looked up to see Rukia looking down at her with a smile. She couldn't read the expression on her face, and feared that it might contain some of the sentiments that her brother held. Much to her relief, Rukia held out the same hand she had earlier and said "Lets go home."

Anju felt relief flow through her body, and reached out to take Rukia's hand, only to have her hand slapped away. She looked up in shock to see Ichigo instead of Rukia. He had stepped in front of the petite shinigami and was refusing to allow things to go smoothly.

"Listen you little twerp, you may fool the others, but you can't fool me. I don't know who you really are, or why you're here but stay out of our way. Got it?" His voice contained fear and confusion instead of malice and although this comforted Anju to some degree, it still hurt that her own father had rejected her.

Tears began to fall down the child's face, and with a whispered "sorry" she shunpo'd off away from the pair. Ichigo turned around once she was gone, only to have his face meet a very solid object. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Rukia screamed, roundhouse kicking him. Before he could recover, her tiny, ineffectual fists were beating repeatedly against his chest and shoulders. This was unlike before, when she had simply knocked him around in jest. She was seriously angry, and he knew that he would have bruises tomorrow.

"What's wrong with me?" He grabbed her fists and held them between their bodies, resisting the struggle she put up. "More like what's wrong with you? "That little punk was trying to weasel her way into soul society under the front of being your child. Why…"

"OUR child, Ichigo." She stopped struggling, and he let her fists drop. "The second that little girl fell out of the sky, I knew I had a connection to her. She has my chappy necklace," Rukia reached up unconsciously to finger the item around her own neck, "and she has the Kuchiki family…time……whatever brother said it was. Even I didn't know about that. Brother surely wouldn't have let her stay under the Kuchiki roof if he doubted her story…" Rukia couldn't explain the innate feeling that she had. This child was hers. With another wave of anger, she swung her fist at Ichigo's face. However, this time Ichigo was ready and caught the fist in one hand.

"What was that for, shortie?" he asked, the anger gone from his voice, having been replaced with contemplative thought.

"You made our daughter cry! Idiot!" She couldn't explain it, but she knew that defending the tiny girl was the right idea. The anger she felt was almost as intense as what she had felt at that Espada for taking Kaien's body. However, it would not last long. Fear overtook her. Anju was out in Soul Society on her own. She was just a child. What if she got lost? Or hurt? Rukia scratched the last thought out of her head. She trusted Anju's strength, and knew it would take an apocalypse to hurt the little girl. But Anju's tear-stained face appeared in her mind, and she feared for the girl's emotional state.

Seeing the fearful expression on Rukia's face, Ichigo lowered their hands. Before he could stop himself, he moved his free hand to join his other hand still holding Rukia's balled up fist. He blushed, and looked down at the simple gesture. Though he would never say it, he too feared for the child.

"Don't get that look, Rukia. If she is your kid, she'll be back. There's no way any kid of yours could lack stubbornness." Rukia looked up at this, and it was her turn to blush. However, the moment was broken when they both felt a stong riatsu shake the ground.

"Is that…" Rukia started to ask, but Ichigo finished her question.

"Kenpachi."

With a sigh, they released hands and went to see what on earth was going on. They arrived to find a crowd surrounding something. Pushing their way through, they found the center and couldn't help but smile at the sight before them. Kenpachi lay on the ground face up, his body held to the ground by Anju's heavy riatsu. Feet away sat Anju and Yachiru, giggling like the little girls they were. Rukia immediately ran to them, while Ichigo took a moment to check over Kenpachi.

"Hey there, Kenpachi. I see you've met that little demon's riatsu." He smiled, and Kenpachi glared. A few feet away, Anju sighed and rolled her eyes. The crowd erupted in laughter as Ichigo had now joined Kenpachi on the ground.

"Thank you for helping me, Yachiru. Ken-chan sure is a handful." The girls giggled again and Anju stood as Rukia reached them.

"I'm sorry for running off Rukia." Anju bowed and Rukia pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright. Ichigo was out of line. Thank you for taking care of her Yachiru." Rukia breathed with relief. She released her hold on Anju and turned to look at her idiot of a friend. "So what exactly happened?" She thought she knew, but felt the need to ask anyway.

"Oh, Ken-chan wanted to fight. I didn't want to, but he was very insistent. This was the only thing I could do without hurting him. Then I met Yachiru. She's just the same as always." Anju beamed with excitement that she had a friend her age. "Thanks again, Yachiru. I'll see you around."

"No problem. Maybe you can fight Ken-chan one day soon. I know he'd enjoy it. Bye Rukia-chan. See you later, JuJu!" Yachiru already had a nickname for Anju. Typical.

Anju let the two grumpy men up and took Rukia's hand as Yachiru went to jump on Kenpachi's back. "You ready to go home?" Rukia was relieved and wanted nothing more than to get home and eat lunch. She grabbed the approaching Ichigo's ear and drug him off to the Kuchiki home, ignoring his protests.


	5. Lunch

Sorry about the delay on getting this chapter up. The wireless signal i had been mooching off of at my house has disappeared and i'm having to sit in on my boyfriend's Dungeons and dragons session at a friend's house just to have intarwebs. I'll try to get the second half of this chapter up later while i still have intarwebs available. The story feels like it's just now getting started and i feel compelled to complete this day of the story asap. Things are gonna start picking up now and i'm so excited!

Anyhoo...i'm rambling now. It's the crazy D&D boys fighting zombies around me. It's making me a little distracted and oddly giddy. On to the story.

Thanks as always for the reviews!

Rukia still had Ichigo by the ear when the group arrived at the Kuchiki house

Rukia still had Ichigo by the ear when the group arrived at the Kuchiki house. A young servant immediately came foreward and bowed deeply. Rukia didn't recognize the girl, and assumed that she had been hired specifically for taking care of Anju.

"Miss Kuchiki, Ms. Kuchiki, Mr. Kurosaki, welcome to the house of Kuchiki. I am here to assist Miss Kuchiki with anything she needs." The girl spoke quickly, obviously nervous, and changed from a low bow to sitting on her legs on the floor.

Rukia was used to the servants by now, and had expected such a welcome. What she did not expect, was Anju's reaction.

Anju took a few steps foreward and sat down in front of the servant. She raised the young servant's lowered head with a gentle hand and smiled. "What's your name?" she asked, kindness and curiosity obvious in her voice.

The servant sat in shock for a moment. It took only one short glance at Anju's face to know that she was serious. "Yuuki, ma'am."

"Well, Yuuki, I know that you have probably been taught all kinds of proper etiquette on how to talk to and respond to and act around the Kuchikis. However, I need a favor from you." Anju spoke like she had knows Yuuki all of her life.

"Anything, Miss Kuchiki!" The servant was all-too eager to please, and her eyes lit up at the opportunity to do her job.

"Can you call me Anju?" The servant wasn't the only one taken aback. She was, however, the only one to protest.

"Oh, but Miss Kuchiki, that is very much against the rules! If anyone heard me calling you by your first name I would certainly be punished…"

"Yuuki…." The servant stopped mid-sentence, still in shock at Anju's request. "Do you mind if I call you Yuuki?" The servant's eyes got bigger than they already were, and she shook her head yes. "Thank you, Yuuki. I understand that there will be times when you will not be able to be informal with me like I wish. When other servants are around, when uncle Byakuya is around….but I would really appreciate it if you would be informal around me whenever possible. I'm sure you know of my story, and know I am not from this time…" the servant nodded yes, and Anju continued.

"When I was born, uncle assigned a girl named Kimiko to be my…servant." Anju's face cringed at the word, but she went on. "As I grew, Kimiko stayed with me, and I came to think of her as a sister. I found it impossible to treat the 'servants' like they were…….'supposed to be treated.' People are all equal in my mind, and I just can't seem to make myself treat any as servants. Rather, I treat them as friends. If you're up for it, I'd like you to be a friend rather than a servant. We'll be spending quite a bit of time together, and it would make things far more pleasant."

Yuuki's face was now twisted into a half-smile, half-fearful expression. She appreciated what the young girl was saying, but it would be going against all of the rules.

"Don't worry. I shall defend you to anyone who dares take you on. Friendship goes both ways. Please, Yuuki?"

The servant could not possibly say no to Anju's request. There was just something so fresh and innocent about the child. "If that is your wish…..Anju."

Anju squealed with delight and hugged the shocked servant. "Thank you Yuuki. I appreciate this." She let go of her new friend and turned to Rukia and Ichigo, who stood a few feet away. "Are you okay with this, Rukia?"

At first, Rukia was taken aback. The child was asking for her permission to make friends with her servant. She shook off the oddity of the question, and nodded her head in the affirmative. She received a warm smile in thanks.

_Beep beep beep_

"Oh! That's me. I've got to go finish setting up your room. It's the one next to Ms. Kuchiki. It was wonderful to meet you Miss……Anju." The servant got up, bowed, and went off toward the west wing of the Kuchiki house.

Anju stood up, stretched, and turned to her fellow shinigami. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short by a loud growl coming from her stomach. A blush graced her cheeks, and she giggled. "I guess it's lunch time."

"Well, today's your first day here. How about you choose." Rukia was already impressed at Anju's kind and innocent demeanor, and felt the need to treat the girl with respect.

"Actually…I made lunch for the three of us last night, hoping that we could all eat together." Shyness had returned to Anju's face as she made the suggestion.

"That sounds great. Lead the way." Rukia followed the little girl's lead for a few feet before noticing that Ichigo wasn't with them. She turned to see him standing in the same spot as before, his arms crossed. "Oi, Ichigo, pick up the pace." He glared at her before speaking.

"And who said I was going to eat lunch with you two?" Ichigo was acting like a child and he knew it. But he was finding it hard to accept that this child was now a part of their lives like Rukia had.

"No one said you had to, but your other option is to eat with uncle. Besides, I made your favorite." She waited for a response, gauging Ichigo's face. When his expression did not change, she sighed and once again started to walk away with Rukia.

The Kuchiki women hadn't turned two corners when they heard Ichigo's voice. "Hey, wait up short and shorter! Jeeze would you two slow dow…." For the second time that day, Ichigio's face met with a solid object. Only this time, it was a fist, and a tiny fist at that.

"You're not getting any if you keep insulting Rukia. Now mind your manners." Anju pulled her hand away and proceeded to walk alongside Rukia as if nothing had happened. They chattered on and off for the rest of the short trip to the kitchen while Ichigo moped a few paced behind them.

"Anju, how did you learn how to cook?" The child had made the entire meal all by herself, and Rukia questioned how a noble had managed to learn the essentials of cooking.

"Aunt Yuzu taught me. Momma, daddy and I have spent a lot of time in the real world, much to the excitement of grandpa." Rukia could just imagine how excited Isshin would be at the thought of a grandchild. How ecstatic he must have been to find out that his son and the girl he considered a third daughter had produced his grandchild. She could see him hugging the poster of Ichigo's mother, telling her all about how their son was finally a man laughed at the thought.

Her mental images were interrupted by a knock at the door. Captain Ukitake came in with a gentle smile, and said his hellos.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your lunch, but I have a package for you, Anju." He handed a beautifully wrapped package to the little girl and she immediately became giddy.

"Is this what I think it is?" She asked. At Captain Ukitake's nod, she jumped up and ran off to the next room, saying over her shoulder "Feel free to eat if you're hungry Ukitake. I made pleanty."

"Goodness, she made all this?" His eyes lit up at the food laid out on the table. Rukia nodded yes, and gestured for him to sit down. "That child of yours really is something else Kuchiki-san."

"Che." Ichigo scoffed from his side of the table. "I still don't believe her."

"Now, now, Kurosaki-san. Is it that hard to believe that you would end up with my young squad member?" He set a gentle, reassuring hand on Rukia's shoulder, but decided not to say any more at the sight of her blush.

A door opened on the other side of the room and all thought of Ukitake's comment were immediately removed from the minds of all present. There stood Anju in new shinigami robes that actually fit, and a familiar white overlay. "How do I look?" She asked while adjusting bits of the uniform.

"A perfect fit. Congratulations, Anju." Ukitake smiled at the new captain from his spot on the floor. He stood and walked over to shake her hand. "Welcome to the Gotai 13 Protection Squads…of this century. The fifth squad is lucky to have you."

"Woah, hold up. What are you talking about? And why does she have a captain robe?" Ichigo had been holding his tongue since having gotten punched by a tiny girl, but could no longer stop himself. There's no way this was correct. A child as a captain?

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Ichigo. There's no way that she could become a captain. She's just a child…" Rukia knew that the mysterious girl had great power, but she couldn't have been more than 70 years old. Hitsugaya hadn't become Captain until he was 107.

"It's okay guys. I'm a captain in my time. Have been for 15 years. I'm already voiced in the duties and know what is required of me. The only reason I didn't have my uniform when I came here was because…..because…" her face dropped and her eyes closed, and it was obvious what she had to say was not good news. She sat down at the table she had arranged for lunch. "Our house was destroyed in the battle, like most of the rest of Seireitei. That means most of my belongings, including my clothes were all destroyed. I was wearing one of my mom's old robes when I got here since the only thing I had left was the tattered uniform I was wearing during the fight. But since things aren't in utter desolation here, I was able to have some new robes made."

Rukia could tell that the smile on Anju's face was nothing more than a front. She could practically feel the pain radiating off of the little girl. She truly could not help what she did next. In one swift movement, she scooted over to Anju and wrapped her arms around the child, holding her tightly. Anju stiffened for a brief moment before allowing herself to relax and snuggle deeper into Rukia's embrace.

I've got more written but i've got a whole lot more planned to finish off this day, and i wanted to give you guys something to read in the meantime. The rest should be up later this evening.

Til then )


	6. Moron

Haha! if i sit right here on my kitchen counter facing the north i can get enough signal to get to this site and post a new chapter!

"Kurosaki-san, may I have a word with you?" Ukitake whispered. Ichigo nodded and followed the older captain out the door, all too happy to leave the sappy scene.

"Kurosaki, I know that we are not friends by any definition. However, Rukia is a valuable member of my squad, and I consider her a true friend. I must ask you to please treat Anju with respect, and try to welcome her to our time. You do not know the whole story. Her past is still shrouded in mystery." Ukitake walked to the edge of the porch and sighed.

"Though she seems to be a well-adjusted young lady, she is undoubtedly hiding something. Commander Yamamoto told me something to this effect, though he does not know the details. I have been appointed as her guardian while she settles into her position as captain of the 5'th squad. If there is ever a problem, please contact me. In the meantime…please try to accept her. As mature as her powers are, we must remember that she is still a child. After having gone through such trama in her short life, she will have scars. Try your best not to re-open old wounds. I know it may seem a challenge at times, but treat her gently, if not Anju, then for Rukia." At Ichigo's confused expression, he added, "Rukia has already formed a bond with her future child. Hurting Anju will hurt Rukia, and I know without a doubt that hurting Rukia would hurt you. I'm not asking you to be her father, but please at least try to be civil." Ukitake turned at the sound of the door opening, and asked the emerging Rukia, "Is she alright?"

"She's fine. Just a little homesick, I think." Rukia had spent the past few moments comforting Anju and trying to make her feel better. She had wandered out to find the others and see what was taking so long. "Is everything okay out here?" She had an idea about what Ukitake had wanted to discuss with Ichigo, and hoped she was right. She honestly didn't want to have the "be nice to our future child" discussion.

"Of course. I was simply asking Ichigo for a favor. It seems you've already taken to our new guest, so I needn't ask you to treat her with kindness and respect. But do try to keep Ichigo in line. His temper often gets the better of him, as you well know." He spoke like Ichigo was not even there, and that irritated Ichigo enough that he let out a low grown and walked around the nearest corner.

"At any rate, I need to get back to my squad. Take care Rukia. I'll see you around." Ukitake bowed slightly and left for the 13'th squad headquarters.

Rukia bowed in return and turned to return to Anju's room. She stopped at the slightly cracked door when she heard voices. She had left Anju alone, hadn't she? Yes, and there were no other entrances into the room, so who on earth was she talking to? Should she eavesdrop? No, that would be wrong. But she was very curious…

She didn't have time to decide on a plan of action. Ichigo was behind her, looking over her shoulder, obviously just as curious at she was.

"What are you doing? We can't eavesdrop on her!" Rukia felt guilt that she had even considered it, but not enough so that she moved away from the door.

"Of course we can. She here in our time, eating our food, living in our houses, taking up our time. It's more than okay to spy on her a little." Ichigo was far too curious, and felt that this might be an opportunity to get some more information on the mysterious child. Little did he know that the conversation he would hear would change his entire perspective.

Inside the large, ornate room, Anju sat on the tatami mat floor, munching on some of the dumplings that sat on the table. Rukia had just left to find Ichigo, and she hoped that nothing was wrong.

"Aaaannnjuuuuu" came a voice from behind her.

"Atsuko! You're awake!" The child turned and crawled over toward the adult-sized stuffed bunny. She took the doll's hands and smiled exhuberantly. "I'm so glad you made the journey intact! I've missed you." Anju was so happy that her personalized artificial guardian made by the bureau of technological development was working again. She was the only connection the child had to her own time. "Is there any word from home?" Atsuko, when in possession of the Kuchiki family time gem, was able to traverse the waves of time and allow communication between parties on both ends.

"Yes, Anju. Your mother has been waiting to talk to you for some time. Would you like to talk to her?" Atsuko talked just like a regular person and was able to move, walk, and act as if she were really alive. She could feel many emotions as well, and it was obvious in her voice that she was excited that she could allow Anju such liberties.

"Oh, Atsuko, yes! Please put me through to momma!" Anju thought it would take days to charge the communication device enough to allow communication, and was beyond excited that she could talk to her mother so soon. She scooted back away from the life-sized bunny and waited for the hologram to appear. After many tense seconds, rays of light began to shine from the doll's eyes and formed a picture of an older Rukia.

"Mommy!" Anju exclaimed scooting as close to the picture as she could.

"Oh, Anju, my dear. I'm so relieved to see you. I was so afraid that something would go wrong. Is everything alright? Are you safe? How are things?" Rukia was her same old self, only with a slightly more mature air to her speech.

"Everything is fine, momma. I got here just fine. The journey was a bit….odd to say the least. Time travel is insane. But I'm safe. I got to meet the captains today, as well as Ichigo and Rukia. Uncle was stubborn and cold as usual. Ichigo acted as expected, and completely denied that there was even a possibility that I could be his future child. Honestly, momma, daddy is so silly…" Both of the Kuchiki women shook their heads as a new figure appeared behind the hologram Rukia.

"Hey, now, don't you talk about your father that way. "An older Ichigo was now wrapping his arms around the older Rukia's waist, and hissing her on the cheek.

"Welcome home, Ichigo. Don't listen to your father. He was entirely clueless back then, and deserves all the ridicule you give him." Rukia smiled mockingly. No matter how much changed, she still liked to be sarcastically mean to Ichigo.

"Excuse me? _I_ was clueless? Ha!" Hologram Ichigo rolled his eyes. "If I remember correctly, you, madam wife, were the one who were in denial. You were in love with me since day one." Their bickering was still a constant in daily life, but it contained so much more affection than it had before they became a couple.

"Quit talking about yourself Ichigo, we're here to talk about Anju." Rukia returned her eyes and attention back to the said child. "Please continue, sweetheart." The affection in Rukia's voice could be heard even by a deaf person.

"Well, as you can see, I've officially been assigned as temporary captain of the 5'th squad." Anju was now beaming. "Commander Yamamoto made me show off my abilities in front of everyone, though." Her face changed to a slight frown and a blush appeared on her cheeks. "It was so embarrassing. I hate showing off."

"Honey, how many times have I told you not to be embarrassed at your abilities? You should be proud! You're unique and incredibly gifted. Don't you dare let anyone make you feel any bad about that." Ichigo's voice oozed with empathy and sincere love.

"I know dad. And I'm trying, but the way they look at me…it's like I'm an alien. Ichigo is the worst. He's treating me like I shouldn't even exist. I was expecting it, but that doesn't make it any less painful."

"Sock him in the jaw. That'll teach him." Rukia had thrown Ichigo off of her and adjusted her position to make room for him next to her.

"Already accomplished. He insulted Rukia, and got what he deserved." Anju's face was once again beaming with pride.

"That's my girl! You teach that past Ichigo." An alarm sounded in the background and the two holograms turned around. "Oh, that's us dear. We've got to go. Try not to let Ichigo get to you, baby. He'll come around. We'll call again as soon as we can. Take care. We love you!"

"Bye momma! Bye daddy! I love you!" The holograms vanished and Anju resumed her position in front of the doll. "Thank you for that, Atsuko. I'm so glad I got to talk to my parents."

"Of course Anju. I'm happy I could help," was the doll's reply. Anju crawled even further toward her companion and curled up in the large bunny's lap. She fell asleep in minutes.

Unbeknownst to Anju, Rukia and Ichigo had heard the entire conversation. They had watched in shock as their future selves had comforted their future daughter. They stood motionless for a few tense moments, wondering what to do next. Ichigo barely even notice as Rukia slipped out from in front of him and staggered off away from the door.

He turned around and opened his mouth to speak, but was met with an empty porch. He looked up in time to see the ends of Rukia's robes fluttering over the edge of the roof. Considering the situation for just a moment, he decided to follow her.

By the time he crawled on the roof, Rukia was already laying down, gazing at the mid-day sky with tears in her eyes. Ichigo felt the need to do something, anything, to help her. He couldn't stand to see her sad. The urge to comfort her confused him. Usually he would make fun of her for crying, so why was he not? He told himself that it was just a fluke, that he was too shaken up from the day's events to think rationally. He knew that was a lie, but couldn't bring himself to find the real reason while Rukia lay in front of him, crying. Cautiously, he made his way over toward her, and lay down by her side. He said nothing, and time passed on in silence. Ichigo knew he would have to speak eventually, and figured that sooner was better than later. He knew she had to be thinking over and over about what was bothering her, and knew that it would only get worse the longer he waited. Before he could begin, Rukia sat up and turned to face him. He continued to lie down and braced himself for whatever she was about to say.

"There's no way I could be that good of a mom." This took Ichigo by surprise. He thought that she had been pondering something serious like the state of their relationship. It took him a moment to recover, but when he did, he sat up and said with a firm voice, "Stop being an idiot." Her head lifted in one quick snap, and she shot daggers at him from behind her bangs. "Come on, Rukia, don't look at me like that. I'm trying to help."

"Oh yes, and calling me an idiot is a great way to show support." Rukia scoffed and lay back down in her spot. She chided herself for even considering talking to Ichigo about her problems. She had known he wouldn't take her seriously. He never did.

"Look, don't get all pouty on me." She turned her face away from him as he said this, growing more regretful of her confession ever second. Sensing that it would take something great to shock Rukia out of her pout, Ichigo lay back down and grabbed one of her hands with his, bringing them to rest in-between their bodies. He felt her stiffen at the sudden movement, and waited for her to relax before he continued.

"As much as I hate to admit it, that little girl in there is ours. I…." But he knew he had said something wrong. Rukia ripped her hand out of his and shunpo'd away before Ichigo could even react. He rolled his eyes and moved to follow her. He hadn't even set his foot down before he was stopped by the little girl he had just mentioned. "Move, kid. I'm trying to find out what's wrong with Rukia." He tried to step past her but she was too quick. He tried to forcefully move her out of his way, but ended up under her horrible gravitational riatsu once more. "Let me go!" He squirmed, but could not seem to move more than an inch in any direction.

"You really are blind, aren't you? Can't you see that _you_ are what's wrong with Ruka?" The question caught him off guard and he stopped struggling. "If I let you up will you sit still for a minute and listen to what I have to say?" Anju let him up as he mumbled a yes.

"Good. Now, before you get all frumpity with me, let me say something. Rukia is very sensitive right now. Rukia woke up this morning to what she assumed was going to be a perfectly normal day. She comes here and gets told that she's going to have a child sometime in the relatively near future….with you of all people. She's frustrated, scared, and confused. Her whole world has been abruptly shaken up by none other than reality itself. Her mind is going through a million possibilities a minute and you tell her, or all things, 'I hate to admit it, but that girl is ours.'" She stopped as Ichigo contemplated what she was saying. He still wasn't getting it, so Anju continued.

"Ichigo, saying that is just like saying, 'I can't believe I sunk so low as to fall in love and produce a child with you.' _That's_ what Rukia heard. It may not be what you meant, but it's what she heard. And now, after allowing herself to maybe hope that you cared about her, she hears that you don't even like the thought of possibly having a child with her in the future, even though I'm standing right here as living proof." Ichigo's eyes widened with realization. But there was still something he didn't understand.

"Why would she care what I think?" Ichigo wanted to think that Rukia didn't care about him or his opinions at all. He wanted to imagine that they _were_ just friends as they both thought.

"You are clueless, aren't you? Both of you have blinders on. Neither of you are willing to admit how you feel, for fear of rejection." Anju stopped for a moment. In one swift motion her hand slapped the back of his head.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" Ichigo temporarily forgot the dilemma he was facing, and focused on trying to sooth the ache on his skull.

"What are you waiting for? Go after her! Moron…" Anju slid off the roof and walked into her room. Ichigo was gone before the door even closed. "Do you think they'll work it out?" Came Atsuko's voice from behind.

"I hardly know. Those two are far too stubborn for their own good. Let's hope they don't kill each other."

A/N

Wow long chapter. Hope it was satisfying. It felt like the best chapter so far, to me at least. The rest of the story will most likely be written similar to this chapter, as this is my most natural state of writing. But this story is for bleach fans so if you'd like something different, just let me know.

Until tomorrow, review, review, review please!


	7. Escape

It's tuseday! What does that mean? Absolutely nothing...how sad. Technically it's MTV's 'Twilight Tuseday' so there'll be some new story on one of my fav books/movies but here i go rambling again. I could use my own little Atsuko to slap me every time i go off on some odd rant...

Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's amazing how different this story is becoming from the one i originally intended to write. I had the entire first day thought out and written in my head...only to think of more and more odd side-story to add to it every darn day. I hope it's not lagging on too long. I promise that it's about ichigo and rukia...or it will be eventually.

The next chapter might be up tomorrow, maybe thursday. I have a rather murky idea on where to go next and just need a little time to polish it.

Thanks reviewers! I appreciate your input!

LLLL

"Can we go now, _please?_" Anju was practically begging Atsuko to venture out and find Rukia. Ichigo had spent a good two hours looking but was still unable to locate her riatsu. "Ichi is hopeless. He'll never find her. Lets go. I wanted to see Matsumoto anyway." Unlike Ichigo, Anju knew exactly where Rukia was. She had spent an hour out by the lake north of the 10'th squad headquarters, and had then been wrangled into a drinking/girl talk afternoon by Matsumoto.

"Aren't we supposed to let them figure things out for themselves? Wasn't that a part of the rules?" Atsuko feared that interfering with the timeline might change the future, but Anju knew better.

"I'm not going to say or do anything that will affect their relationship……too much." She finished in a whiper. Atsuko nodded her head and followed Anju out the door. "And remember, we're watching out for Mayori's riatsu. If he gets a hold of you I may never see you again." Atsuko gulped. She knew that Anju was right about the crazy captain of the 12'th squad. One look at the life-sized bunny and Atsuko would be in a lab somewhere strapped down to a chair facing goodness only knows what. She shuddered at the thought.

Moments later, they arrived at the 10'th squad headquarters. Outside, they ran into an angry looking white haired captain.

"Good afternoon, Captain Hitsugaya. May I ask what's wrong?" Anju knew the answer but figured she might as well ask.

"Hello, _Captain_ Anju. What's wrong is my lazy vice-captain. She's overtaken my office, and stolen my sake. Something about needing 'girl time' with Kuchiki-san." The irritation was clear in Hitsugaya's voice as he paced. Anju knew all to well how he disliked it when Matsumoto pulled stunts like this.

"Sorry about that. You know how clueless Ichigo is. He went and said something stupid and upset Rukia," Anju tried to calm the young captain. "But, lucky for you, I'm here to fetch my dear future mother, so you can go back to….whatever it is you were doing…" Anju giggled at the expression on his face. He clearly did not want to be in debt to the unusual child, but he did want his office back.

"Fine. Go tell them in 'girl' that they're replacing all the sake they drank. And tell Rangiku that I want that paper work done by tomorrow. She'll know what I'm talking about!" He had to shout the last sentence as Anju was already walking off toward the office, and turning the corner. Atsuko bowed and got a rather puzzled look from Hitsugaya before following.

Anju knocked at the door of the 10'th squad captain's office and entered carefully. She came upon quite a shocking scene. On the couch lay a very drunk Matsumoto, half-dressed and rambling on about some boy she had met in her youth. Rukia, while not nearly as inebriated, sat with her back against Hitsugaya's desk, a full cup of sake in her hand, braced and ready if she needed it. Anju wandered over to Rukia and sat down in front of her. She was already asleep.

"Matsumoto, I need to borrow Rukia for a while. Do you mind?" Anju interrupted Rangiku mid-laugh. All she got in return was a silent nod, and then a loud snore from the couch. "Atsuko, would you please take Rangiku to her room?" Atsuko nodded, lifted the unconscious vice-captain off the couch, and walked off to deposit her in her own room. When she returned, Anju said "Thank you. Do you mind carrying Rukia on our journey? I'd use the wind but that might raise a few eye brows…" Atsuko nodded yes again and did as the girl asked.

"Where are we headed Anju?" The doll's voice sounded full of concern, but she went along with the plan anyway.

"That depends on the answer this hell butterfly is carrying." She smiled and allowed the black bug to land on her finger. Her smile increased as she listened.

"Your request has been granted. The north gate will be open in five minutes. Please report there promptly. Thank you." After instructing the hell butterfly to deliver her thanks, Anju hopped up off the floor and made her way to the door.

"Oh, Captain Hitsugaaaayaaa." She said in a sing-song voice. The captain appeared around the corner with a look of annoyance on his face. "Rangiku has been taken care of. Please allow her to rest for a few hours. Beyond that, may I suggest a reward system? She's far more apt to do her work if you offer her something small in return." She pulled a small card out of her robe and handed it to the now even angrier captain.

"Three month all you can eat and drink pass to…the Red Dragon? What's this for?" The captain looked at the odd pass, and grimaced. The Red Dragon was Matsumoto's favorite place to hang out.

"Offer that to her for three months of doing all of her work. I'm sure she'll come around." Anju smiled, bowed, and gestured for Atsuko to follow her, leaving the bewildered young captain behind.

"To answer your question, Atsu, we're going to the 48'th district. Our place. I doubt it's any different here than it will be in our time. We need to hurry if we're going to make it to the gate in time." The three women took off toward the northern gate, and traveled in silence until they reached it.

"Good evening Anju. Where are you off to?" Ukitake had been the one to approve her request to go through the gate, and had met her here to see her off.

"Hello again, Ukitake. I'm taking Rukia out for a little…mother-daughter outing. She's in desperate need of some therapy after having to put up with Ichigo's cluelessness. Don't worry…" She added at his perplexed face, "She was drinking with Matsumoto, and fell asleep. I'll have her back for dinner. Thank you for this, Ukitake. I truly appreciate it. Atsuko, Rukia, and I will see you later. You're more than welcome to have dinner with us." Anju waved as she passed through the gate and Atsuko bowed.

"Thank you Anju. I would be delighted to join you. Have a safe trip." Ukitake waved back and sighed, knowing he had quite a bit of paper work waiting for him.

LLLL

"Thanks for carrying her, Atsuko. You can set her down now." The group had arrived at their destination. Atsuko set Rukia down on a green blanket under a tree, and took in her surroundings. They sat atop a gently sloping hill which ended in a small crystal blue lake. Surrounded by trees, the shade completely covered them. "We haven't been here in ages." Anju reminisced about the times she and her family had spent there in the past.

"Six months, one week, and two days. Your birthday to be exact." Anju sat down in Atsuko's lap and gazed out toward the shining lake.

"Has it really been that long? We used to come here at least once a month." Neither noticed as Rukia shifted behind them and opened her eyes. "Papa used to wake me up early in the morning and say, 'wake up my princess, your tree is waiting for you.' Momma would meet us in the kitchen with a whole breakfast ready and waiting. Daddy always had to have the very last piece of toast. I'd always steal it, and he'd chase me around the table." Though Rukia could not see the smile on Anju's face, she could hear it in her voice loud and clear. "We'd put on our swim suits, pack a picnic lunch, and head out for our family spot. If it was just us, we'd play and swim. Sometimes our friends and their families would come. Do you remember the drowning game?"

"Of course. The children loved it. You would go into the water and swim like normal for a while. Then, when Rukia caught your eye, you'd both nod, and you'd go under the water and hold your breath. The moms would rally kids and they'd all stand on the shore. They all knew what was going on. They knew you were in the water and hadn't surfaced yet. Your mom would rush into the water, acting like she was worried about you. She'd swim all the way out to you and tell you to flail like hell as she drug you to the shore. Everyone would gather around and chant. Rukia would pinch your cheeks and kiss you all over your face and you'd come back to life. It was one of your favorite games." Atsuko made the game sound silly in her slightly electronic, inhuman voice, but Rukia could hear the affection behind the criticism.

"I miss those days. The sunsets were always so perfect. I'd usually fall asleep in daddy's lap and he'd carry me all the way home. He and mom would tuck me into bed, always remembering to turn my night light on. Do you still have that movie? You know…the one…"

"The one you took on your fiftieth birthday? Yes, of course. You haven't asked to see it in a long time. Would you like me to play it?" Atsuko adjusted her position and prepared the hologram.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to see it. I'm already homesick…it might help." In the shadows behind them, Rukia sat up and peeked around to see the moving picture in front of her. An image of a younger Anju appeared, asleep in her bed. The door on the other side of her room creaked open, and Ichigo crept in on tip-toes. He sat on the edge of the little girl's bed and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Wake up, my princess. Today is your day," Ichigo whispered. Anju rolled over and crawled into his lap, snuggling into his strong embrace. He stood up and carried the tiny child into the next room. The following image was of what Rukia assumed to be her future kitchen. Her future self stood at the counter, putting the final touches on a chappy cake. She turned and greeted her family with a smile.

Ichigo set Anju down in her spot at the table and sauntered over to stand behind Rukia. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, pausing to breathe in the smell of her hair. "I see the birthday girl has risen. Good morning sweetheart." Rukia looked over her shoulder and got a gleeful smile from her child. "And good morning to you, Mr. Kuchiki." She turned and kissed Ichigo quickly on the lips.

"Good morning, Mrs. Kurosaki." They always played this game, pretending to take their own name as a couple instead of the others'.

"You two are gonna give me a complex," Came Anju's voice from the table. Her parents ignored her and went back to staring in each other's eyes. They barely even noticed when a knock came from the door.

"It's uncle Urahara!" Anju screamed, now fully awake, and ran to let her guest in. She ignored her parents' giggles and wrapped her arms around the ex-captain's legs. "Thank you for coming all this way Urahara. I haven't seen you in months!"

"It was no trouble at all little Kuchiki." He noted the intoxicated looks on Ichigo and Rukia's faces at the entered the room, and decided to distract Anju. "I have with me a very unique gift for your birthday. How about you follow me outside and I'll show you what it is?"

"Can I go momma?" Anju was beyond excited. Urahara always gave the best gifts. She received a very distracted murmur of approval from her mother and practically flew out the door with Urahara in tow.

"10 minutes is all I can guarantee…." He said in just above a whisper as he departed.

Rukia could not describe how very much she appreciated that the next scene jumped to a different place entirely. The looks of lust on her and Ichigo's faces in the film were almost too much to bear. Something struck her as odd about the next hologram thought. It looked familiar. She realized after a moment of thought that they were currently sitting in the place projected in the film. She watched as the drowning game played out exactly as Atsuko had told it. The only noticeable difference was the presence of both Ichigo and Renji on a small pier that jutted out into the water. They played fake lookouts as Rukia's future self went into the water to save her 'drowning' child, hands over their eyes to block the sun. They ran back to the shore at Rukia brought Anju out of the water, and said dramatic things like "oh she's a goner!" and "lord please save this child!" The whole thing was enough to make the present Rukia wide eyed and curious enough to creep foreword to get a better view.

_Crack_

Anju and Atsuko turned around at lightning speed, the hologram disappearing behind them. Rukia had stepped on a twig and caused the little branch to snap in half. She stood there, caught in the act.

LLLL  
A/N

Another fairly long chapter. Hope you liked it!

And some of you might be thinking...hey that drowning game sounds familiar! Well if you've ever seen "divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood" you'd know that's where it's from. That movie has got to be one of the best movie-ti-zations of my life. My mom and her sisters are like the ya-yas...without the rituals and group activities. My friends and i are the true ya-yas. We had a ceremony and everything. We have our own headdresses we made, and a ya-ya book chronicalling our escapades. We drank the 'blood of our people' and all that. (vodka and yoo-hoo which i don't recommend ever combining by the way)

Ah, i'm rambling again. Mom's coming home and i must evacuate her bedroom quickly (tis the only place i can get wireless tear)

Until tomorrow...

Ta


	8. Sunsets

I may have gone a bit overboard on this chapter. It turned out a bit longer than i had originally intended. Not that that's bad...

Anyhoo lemme know what you think.

OOOO

Anju didn't know what to do

Anju didn't know what to do. There stood Rukia, her mouth open, her eyes large. Lacking for what to say, she simply lowered her head and clasped her hands together. She started to open her mouth to apologize, but Rukia spoke first.

"Anju….." Rukia's voice was soft and kind. "Come here." She gestured to the space in front of her, the shock still evident on her face.

The child moved toward Rukia, still hanging her head. She feared that she would get yelled at, that Rukia would be angry with her, or scared. What she did not expect was to be pulled into a strong hug. She stood there, wrapped in Rukia's arms for a few minutes, not sure what to make of the situation. It took many moments, but she finally relaxed and wrapped her arms around Rukia in return.

"Thank you for rescuing me from Matsumoto. Her intentions are honorable, but her methods are questionable." Rukia released her hold on Anju and set her hands on the girl's tiny shoulders. She looked more closely at her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"The 43'd district. Lake….um, well I don't know the actual name. We just call it 'our place.'" Anju giggled, both with relief and happiness.

"Well, I definitely approve. It's beautiful out here. But, how did we get out of Seiretei?" Rukia knew that the gate was guarded and required the help of higher-ups to be let out.

"Ukitake let us out. I told him we needed some…mother daughter time. There's some stuff I need to tell you…." Anju had lost her smile once again. She worried that she might be overstepping boundaries. But she knew that if life were going to be anything but hell for the next few years, she had to do this.

"Well alright. But don't sound so serious. You're almost scaring me." Rukia gave a nervous laugh and sat down next to an equally nervous Anju.

"I kind of need a favor. You see," she paused and tried to arrange her thoughts, "there's a lot to be said for miscommunication. What I need for you to do is to try to not jump to conclusions. I know some of the things Ichigo says are…" she looked for the right word, "completely insensitive. But I think that, instead of taking what he says at face value, it would be prudent to maybe put some thought into the meaning behind his words. Like earlier…" Anju's voice stopped mid-sentence and she snapped her head to the left. "Well i'll be a drunken dragon. He actually found us…"

Rukia looked around to see Ichigo making his way quickly toward them.

"Oi! Rukia, Anju!" He stopped under the tree, breathing heavier than normal. "Would you quit interfering kid? I got this." Ichigo's breathing slowed and he walked over to Anju, grabbing her around the waist and holding her at his side. "I need a word with this one. I'll be back in a minute." He turned and shunpo'd off to a spot under a tree just out of earshot of Rukia and set the surprised child down.

"What did you say to her?" Ichigo was more frightened than mad. He had spent the last few hours planning out exactly what he was going to say, and hoped that Anju hadn't gone and ruined it.

"Calm down. All I did was tell her that you can be a little insensitive with your words, and not to jump to conclusions. She _might_ actually listen to you thanks to me. Besides, it took you how long to find her? She's been drunk and sober already. Oh don't look at me like that…" Ichigo's face showed a blend of guilt and anger. "Just talk to her already. And don't say anything stupid. Give a little spike in riatsu when you're ready to come back through the gate. I'll be waiting." She started to walk back toward Rukia but turned to say "Make her cry again and you won't see the nice side of my riatsu for a month." She grabbed Atsuko, bid Rukia farewell and walked off away from the lake.

Ichigo watched her go and made his way back to Rukia when he knew that the little girl was long gone. He knew that saying what he had to say would not be easy. Rukia already had her arms crossed, and looked agitated. "About what I said earlier…" He saw Rukia shift and immediately went on the defensive. "If you'd stop being so agitated with me before I even speak maybe you'd actually learn something." But he knew, once again, that he had said too much because Rukia was already turning to leave. Ichigo knew that this was not going to be easy, but he was determined to try.

He reached out and quickly grabbed Rukia by the wrist, spinning her around to face him. It was her turn to be pulled into an unexpected hug. Before she could object, Ichigo wrapped his arms around her. One came to rest over her shoulder, his hand gently cupping the back of her head. The other wrapped more tightly around her waist, holding her entire body to his.

"Rukia, please," he began in a small, tentative voice, "please stop leaving me. There's only so much one guy can take…" Rukia froze at the tone in his voice. He sounded almost afraid. He took her silence as his cue to move on. "How many times am I gonna have to bring you back to convince you that I want you with me?" He let go of her and walked a few paces toward the lake.

"I have a bad habit of wording things wrong. I say things that sound good to me, but to everyone else…they're the complete opposite of what I meant. That's what happened earlier." He glanced her way and noted that she was still standing there, her arms no longer crossed. _That's a good sign_, he thought to himself.

"What I said to you earlier was not meant as something negative. I _meant_ that…well I'm having a hard time believing that...such a great thing could ever come from me. That little girl is beautiful. She's insanely strong, smart, and very tricky. She reminds me so much of you, so it's not hard for me to get that she's yours. But that she could be mine…it's just a bit hard to believe is all. I never meant that I didn't want to admit that she was ours. I know that's what it sounded like, but honestly, Rukia, I would never think that." He paused as a tiny bit of hope lit up on her face. Biting his lip, unsure of what to say next, he decided that simply standing near her was enough. He retraced the few steps he had taken away from her and took her hand. "Forgive me for being an idiot?" It sounded so odd…an apology coming from him. Even more so that it was mixed with a plea for forgiveness.

Rukia couldn't stay mad at Ichigo. She knew that if she hadn't run off in the first place that she would have heard this truth far earlier. And he was apologizing. How many times had he admitted to being wrong? None that she could remember, especially not to her. But how to react to such an admission? She was spared for the moment as a cold wind blew past them and Ichigo flinched. A tiny cut had appeared on his face and was starting to bleed. He didn't even seem to notice.

"Ichigo, your face." How could he not notice being cut? He lifted his face slightly and ran a solitary finger across the cut, confusion evident on his features.

"Hmm that's weird. How did that get there? Wait, does that riatsu feel familiar to you?" He had felt a glimmer of riatsu starting to rise somewhere to the south. Before he could decide whose it was, Yachiru appeared on a low branch above him.

"Hiya Ichi. Ken-chan was looking for you. He's been wanting to fight you ever since you got here. Looks like he got you in the face." She hopped down off the branch and fell onto Ichigo's back. She inspected the cut and poked one finger at it. "It's so tiny. He'll be disappointed. That's probably the closest he'll get to you now that your little girl is here."

"What's this about Anju? And what are you talking about?" Ichigo was irritated that Kenpachi had interrupted his moment with Rukia, and he wanted answers. The sooner, the better, since that meant he could go back to having said moments with her.

"You can't feel it? Juju's the one who distracted him. He wanted to fight her as well, so I guess it's not a problem. Anyway, I was just checking on you Ichi! See ya later!" The tiny girl leapt back up into the branches and started to make her way back toward the fight now raging only a few miles away.

"Wait Yachiru! Did you say Kenpachi is fighting Anju?" But she was already gone. Ichigo turned back to Rukia. "We can't let this happen. She's far too young to fight Kenpachi. She could get seriously hurt! We've got to do something…"

"There's no need. She's already won…" Rukia's face was covered in what must have been pride. The tiny girl had taken Zaraki Kenpachi out in mere moments. "His riatsu is already dangerously low. I don't think she really _hurt_ him, but she's definitely won. He's not even fighting any more." Her smile grew and she turned toward the south. She stood there for a few moments, admiring her future child's victory, but was interrupted by an arm around her waist, pulling her backwards.

"Watch out!" Ichigo had seen something falling from the tree above them and drug her out of the way before it could beam her in the head. The mysterious little package was the same dark turquoise as Anju's sword, and no larger than the palm of Ichigo's hand. He noted that it weighed next to nothing as he let it fall into his open hand. Before he could even move to unwrap it though, the green ribbons dissipated into the air and left a small band-aid in its place.

"Jeeze Ichigo you could have just told me to move. What is that?" Rukia pulled the band-aid out of his hand and examined it. It was lime green with two chappy bunnies on the wings and a large sword in the middle. "How did she…but…amazing." Rukia didn't know how Anju had known that Ichigo had a cut on his face, or how she gotten personalized chappy/zanpactou band aids, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Rukia peeled the paper backing off the sides and lifted her hands toward Ichigo's face.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing? I don't need a band aid!" Ichigo stepped back and held his hands up in defense.

"But Anju sent it just for you. Look, it even has your zanpactou on it." He shook his head no and tried to get away from her, but she was too quick. She had the band aid on his face in half of a second and was giggling at the mortified look his face now held. "Oh come on Ichigo, it's just a little band aid. It'll make her happy if she sees you wearing it. Please?" Rukia gave her best sad eyes, and Ichigo could not help but to along with her pleading. He left the band-aid in its place and sat back down, leaning against the tree.

Rukia's Point of View

I almost squealed with delight, but held it in. I didn't want to embarrass Ichigo into taking the cute little chappy band-aid off his face. "Thank you. Now if you could just stop pouting, it'd be a perfect evening." I ignored the blush that settled on my cheeks as I sat down beside Ichigo, noting the sunset that had crept up while we had not been paying attention.

I know that Ichigo has no appreciation for sunsets. Something about his mother. I don't have any specifics, though. Why, then, is he sitting next to me, staring at the sunset as if it were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen? I've only seen that look on his face once or twice in the many years that I've known him. They are truly a rare and special treat.

The blush is still lingering on my face. I wonder why. It was nice and cool outside now that the sun was going down. I knew that my face wasn't burnt. The only explanation I could come up with was that I was excited that Ichigo had actually kept the band-aid on his face. It was adorable. I can't believe he actually let me put it on. Oh. There goes the blush again, flaring up. All I had thought about was touching Ichigo's cheek. No big deal. I'd slapped him many times. This wasn't any different, was it?

I'm really glad that Ichigo can't read minds. I can't imagine what he'd say if he saw into my thoughts right now. All of those pictures from Anju's video keep flashing through my head. The looks of love and lust on my and Ichigo's faces. The family traditions. Part of me wished Ichigo had seen that video, and heard all about Anju's days at the lake. Maybe then he would believe that he was a wonderful father and a great husband. But Rukia knew better. She knew that if Ichigo had seen that video, he'd have denied it's truth to everyone and anyone. I can't help but wonder why he's so adamant about not being Anju's father. He praised Anju. It can't be her. The only other reason I can come up with is that it's me. He's denying it because I'm the mother, not because he's the father. That has to be it.

But does it? He's taken special care to hunt me down, come all the way out here and explain himself just to…why did he do that? Why is he so concerned about my feelings all the sudden? He's never seemed to care before. Why…

My thoughts were cut short by the sound of his voice.

"This is nice." I could feel the confusion all over my face, and I assumed he could too because he then explained, "The sunset. The trees. The lake. All of it is…nice. We should come back here sometime." Did he really just say that? Well I'd blame it on my ears if I were still drunk, but I'm not. Maybe I'm just hearing what I want to hear.

"I thought you hated sunsets." There. A very simple statement. Nothing too complicated can come out of that.

"I used to. When I was little, I told my mom it was because they were sad. I'm not sure if that's why I really hated them back then, but it's the best I could come up with. Something just didn't feel right about them then." He stopped and raised his hand to run it through his hair. The wind blew very gently and I could smell him. He always smelled so nice. Again, my thoughts were interrupted, "But I think I've figured it out now." He looked at me again, only this time, he smiled. The happiness reached his eyes and they practically glistened in the sun. I raised an eye brow, silently asking him why. "I think it's because I always spent them alone. But sitting here with you like this…I think I like sunsets now. If sunsets had come with you I think I'd have always loved them." He seemed to realize the awkwardness of this statement as soon as he said it, because his cheeks blushed as red as mine. I can't fool myself now. He really is acting weird. The only way he could get any weirder is if he….grabbed my hand…just like he's doing now…again.

Ichigo's Point of View  
I cannot believe that Rukia just put a chappy band aid on my cheek. Was she insane? So yeah, it had a little version of my zanpactou on it. But that didn't make up for the girliness of the bunnies. Plus, it's a band aid. I don't need a band aid for a little cut like this. If anyone saw me wearing this I'd never hear the end of it. But…the look on her face is priceless. Is she really that happy about some silly band aid? Well I guess since no one is around, it wouldn't hurt to keep it on. I might as well sit down. No need to let her think I'm doing this for her.

I plop down at the base of the nearest tree and lean back. I can tell Rukia is beyond ecstatic that I didn't remove the band aid. It's so good to see her smile like that. So much of our time together has been spent fighting for our lives, we've never truly gotten a chance to just live. Hopefully, now that the war against Aizen is over, we can relax and take some time to live our lives.

She must be following my train of thought, cause she's finally sitting down around me again. I'm glad she's not too angry over what I said earlier. And she didn't even yell at me or hit me when I hugged her. That's a good sign, right?

That sure is an odd look on her face. I wonder what on earth could be holding her thoughts so captive. Wait, is that jealousy I'm feeling? No, she's sitting right next to me, just being Rukia. If that's true, then why do I have the urge to say something, anything to get her attention? I really shouldn't because that would be selfish. But this moment is just so perfect. I think this is the first time I've actually not cringed at a sunset. Maybe that's all she's thinking. Hmm…

"This is nice." Oh yeah, real smooth Ichigo. Now she's confused. "The sunset. The trees. The lake. All of it is…nice. We should come back here sometime." That wasn't much better. She looked even more confused now than she had before.

"I thought you hated sunsets." Well she got me there. But there was something about this sunset that was different. "I used to. When I was little, I told my mom it was because they were sad. I'm not sure if that's why I really hated them back then, but it's the best I could come up with. Something just didn't feel right about them then." Where to go from here? Will she freak out if I say what I'm actually thinking? I'm afraid she might run away again. I really don't want to have to hold her down and talk her into her senses again. I ran one of my hands through my hair and I thought I heard a light intake of breath from her spot next to me. "But I think I've figured it out now." Best to air on the side of caution. I looked her way to gauge her reaction. I'd like to know beforehand if she was going to try to slap me. "I think it's because I always spent them alone. But sitting here with you like this…I think I like sunsets now. If sunsets had come with you I think I'd have always loved them." I didn't just say 'love' did I? Oh, now she was really going to freak out. Think, Ichigo. Placate her before she gets angry. Grab her hand? Check. Now what?

OOO

Goodness that was long. Longest by like 1000 words or something. Feels good. So anyway let me know what you think. My thanks as always to those who review.


	9. Laugh

Just a little side note…Anju takes Kuchiki as a last name because she needs the title

Just a little side note…Anju takes Kuchiki as a last name because she needs the title. Though many people now know the name Kurosaki, it's not a noble family. Ichigo took Rukia's last name when they got married for the exact same reason.

Hope that didn't confuse anyone P

OOOOOOO

Ichigo didn't know how long he had been sitting there, holding Rukia's hand. He was sure it couldn't have been terribly long because the sun had just now made its way below the horizon. But neither he nor Rukia had moved since he had grabbed her hand. Ichigo was unsure of what to say, if anything. It was then that he noticed Rukia's weight against his shoulder. He turned his head gently to the side, unsure of what she was doing. It didn't take him long to recognize the pattern of her breathing.

She was asleep.

Ichigo smiled. She must have been terribly comfortable to fall asleep against him. To be honest, sitting with her like this was very comfortable. However, the air was starting to get uncomfortably cold, and the wind was picking up. He didn't want for either of them to catch a cold, so he shifted slightly so that he could pick Rukia up. She stirred as he lifted her, but settled more closely into his arms once he froze. Sighing with relief, he stood up with Rukia in his arms and made his way back to the gate, giving a spike in riatsu as Anju had instructed.

OOOOOO

Ichigo had made it back to the Kuchiki household and managed to find Rukia's room. Reluctantly, he set her down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. He had never seen her so relaxed as she was now. He knew that if she woke up and realized that he was watching her sleep, she'd probably not speak to him for a good two days, but he felt that it was worth it. His musings were cut short by a tiny fake cough from behind. He turned to see a rather amused Anju wearing a chappy apron and wielding a ladle.

"Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Let her sleep til then. She's had a stressful day." Her voice held no hint of anger, no curiosity as to why he was currently watching someone sleep. If anything, he heard what he could only assume was peaceful admiration. The gentle smile on her face only went to prove his assumption, and he returned it with a smile of his own. She left as quietly as she had come, and Ichigo decided that taking a shower would be the best course of action. He bent toward Rukia's sleeping face and whispered, "I'll be back in a little." For the first time in his life, he had the sincere desire to simply lean foreword and press a gentle kiss on her lips. However, he knew that such a move would take away the splendor of his first real kiss with Rukia.

His thoughts ran head-long into a brick wall. How he had even got onto the subject of kissing Rukia, he didn't know. There had to be something wrong with him. He could never kiss Rukia. He simply didn't feel that way. At least, he thought he didn't.

Pushing aside the haunting thoughts with a shake of his head, Ichigo slid off of the bed and went to take a shower. Upon returning, he found Rukia still in bed, sprawled out underneath the covers. He stopped for a moment to consider how she had managed to get herself so tangled in her own sheets, but didn't have to wait long for an answer. She was moving around in her sleep, mumbling something inaudible. Ichigo considered making fun of her when she woke up, but reconsidered once he got close enough to hear what she was saying.

He couldn't make out most of what she said, but managed to catch 'cold,' 'rain,' and 'die.' He sat down in the spot he had occupied earlier and continued to listen, hoping to get a better idea of what was going on in her dream. He heard his own name, and Rukia's hands gripped the sheets. Anju's name made its way through her gritted teeth and she screamed, sitting straight up in bed, looking half ready to leap up and attack.

She looked around and found Ichigo's worried face staring back at her. Her breathing was far too heavy to be normal and her eyes were wide with fear. Coming back to her senses, she covered her face with her hands and curled up into herself, facing as much away from Ichigo as she possibly could. He knew that she must be somewhat embarrassed, and didn't know exactly what to do. The best he could come up with was to rub her back with his hand. This method seemed to work, and she calmed down enough to return to facing him.

"You okay?" He knew better than to try to make fun of her for such a thing. The old him might have joked about bad dreams, but the new Ichigo realized that such a thing would hurt her. The new Ichigo had decided not too long ago that hurting Rukia was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Rather, he wanted only to protect her.

"Yeah. It was just a dream" Her cheeks gained a slight blush as she avoided his gaze.

"Feel like talking about it?" Ichigo had a sincere desire to know what was bothering her. He hoped that maybe he could do something to help. At the very least, if it was a particular person causing her dreams, he could beat them to a pulp.

Rukia was still avoiding looking at him, but he could tell that she was trying to work out what she wanted to say. She took a deep breath, and began. "There was a monster. Something really big. It had black fur on most of his body. There were patches missing though, and the skin on those patches was…falling off. It was like the thing was rotting from the inside out. The smell was horrible. It was attacking Karakura town." She paused to adjust her position in the tangled covers. "You went after it, but it was too fast. It was going to swallow you whole…but Anju jumped in between you and the…thing. She was eaten in one bite. It got you next. That's when I woke up." Tears were escaping from her eyes. She went to wipe them away but he got to them first. As calloused as his hands were, they felt perfectly smooth to her, and it was all she could do to not lean into his touch. The urge became even stronger as he changed from a single finger to a whole palm against her face.

"I'm right here. And in case you can't smell it, Anju is on the other side of that wall making dinner. We're all safe. There aren't any monsters here in Soul Society. No one's going to be eaten any time soon. Hey," he was trying his best to be comforting, but didn't have much practice at it. "Is there something I can do?"

She looked up at him in surprise, trying very hard to understand why he was being so kind. Coming up with nothing, she simply went along with the moment. "Could…maybe…" she tried to get her mouth to express what her head was thinking, but was losing the battle. "Do you mind if we go sit on the roof? I'd like to look at the stars. That always calms me down." She had originally been intending to ask him to lay with her, but had chickened out.

"Of course. But we only have about ten minutes left." He knew that Anju had worked hard on dinner and didn't want to skip such a lovingly prepared meal.

"That's fine." Rukia untangled herself from her covers and began to swing her legs over the side of her bed, but was taken by surprise as Ichigo moved his arm underneath her knees, letting the other slink around her back. He picked her up before she could protest and wandered out onto the porch. "What are you doing? I can walk myself, Ichigo…" Her voice, which would usually contain venom at such an unexpected move, was light and cheerful, almost kidding.

"What was I thinking? Of course you can. I'll just set you down riiiight here" Ichigo made the move to set her down, jokingly. He never had any intention of letting her go, but if she was being playful, he might as well match her.

"No! No, no, I was just joking! Don't drop me!" Rukia squealed and wiggled in Ichigo's arms, trying not to fall as he removed his arm from under her legs. She was sure she couldn't hold on any longer. Just as she was about to fall to the floor, Ichigo's arm resumed its place and he laughed. It wasn't just his regular laugh that he used every day. This was his special laugh that he only ever allowed himself to use when he was truly happy. Rukia had heard the laugh only once in the entire time she had known Ichigo. It had been many months ago, but she remembered the moment like it was yesterday.

The spring carnival had opened up a few miles north of Ichigo's house. Rukia had gone with Ichigo and his family to the fair on Saturday so that they could see the fireworks just after sunset. During the carnival, Ichigo had shown Rukia many of the typical carnival traditions. He had lead her onto many rides, and discovered that they both liked the fast ones. They had tasted many different varieties of food. Ichigo even let Rukia scoop her own goldfish. After the sun set, Ichigo and Rukia had set out a blanket near the bank of the river to watch the fireworks. Rukia had never seen fireworks before and her expression was absolutely hilarious to Ichigo. That was when she first heard his real laugh. It had only lasted for a second. The fireworks overshadowed his voice and scared Rukia. He had stopped laughing to make fun of her.

Now, in the quiet safety of the Kuchiki house, he let himself simply be happy. Rukia couldn't help but laugh too. It was then that they caught each other's eyes. They both paused in their laughs and simply stared into each other's eyes. Ichigo was the first to break from the almost spell-like atmosphere.

"Come on. Let's get you up to your stars." His demeanor, which usually would have gone back to a moderate scowl, kept its serenity as he hopped up on the roof, Rukia still in his arms. To their surprise, a blanket had been set up on a flat spot near the middle of the nearest room.

"How much do you wanna bet Anju was up here?" Rukia didn't think that Byakuya held any secret desire to sit on his own roof, so it must have been Anju.

"Like mother, like daughter. She probably learned it from you." Ichigo set her down on the blanket and flopped down beside her for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. They sat in silence for a few minutes, all of the tension and confusion from the day melting away. It wasn't long before they heard the pitter patter of tiny feet walking toward them.

"Dinner is ready. Ukitake is already here. Are you guys coming?" Anju sounded very excited. Too excited for a simple dinner at home. Ichigo decided that he'd try to remember to ask her later about her suddenly animated attitude.

"We'll be down in a minute." Ichigo said to Anju, and she nodded, falling back down toward the porch in one tiny jump. Ichigo sighed, slightly saddened that the moment had ended so soon, and stood up. He looked down at Rukia after he'd taken a few steps away, surprised that she was still stationary on the roof. He raised an eyebrow to question her motionlessness.

"Aren't going to carry me this time?" She asked, any hint of seriousness gone from her voice. "Well, I guess my poor little legs will just have to try to do their job." She made a fake attempt to get up and fell back down onto the blanket. "Oh no, Ichigo. Look what you've done. My legs have gone all weak at not getting to use themselves all day. Guess I'm stuck here." She sat back and started at him daringly, not sure of where this new-found confidence had come from.

"Hmm whatever am I going to do about that?" He gave a slight laugh and raised his hand to his chin, trying to look like he was contemplating something. "Hey Anju!" He yelled over the edge of the roof, and the child appeared. "How about we eat on the roof tonight? You can send all that food up here, can't you?" He gave her a daring glare and she seemed to get what he was asking her. Nodding with a large smile on her face, Anju called her sword and maneuvered the entire meal out the door and up onto the already waiting blanket. She and Ukitake followed seconds later.

"Thanks, kiddo. Ms. Kuchiki here seems to be unable to use her legs. Something about being carried all day." The humor in Ichigo's voice was not missed by a single member of his audience, nor was the murderous, yet thankful glance that Ichigo received from Rukia. The group sat down to dinner, and enjoyed the quiet, warm night air.

00000000


	10. Inside your head

Well, in honor of my not being able to sleep (85 degrees at 4am anyone?) here's a new chapter.

Some of the issues surrounding Anju's power will be resolved in the next chapter or two. I said she had cool abilities. I never said she knew exactly how to use them in a heated battle )

VVVVVVVVVVVVV

Dinner had passed by quickly, and without much conversation. Ichigo had been far more upbeat and open than normal throughout the entire meal, whereas Anju had been rather quiet. After many minutes of allowing his food to digest, Ukitake had said good evening and left the future family to take care of desert. Anju had excused herself after the ice cream sundaes, and had taken the left-overs with her, leaving only Ichigo and Rukia on the roof.

It was well past 10pm, and the moon had taken over the sky. Lights all over soul society had begun to flicker off, allowing a gentle glow to settle against the scenery. The night was relatively warm, and the air was just beginning to show the signs of summer. Although Rukia was still wearing her full shinigami robes, she was starting to get cold. Her stubbornness prevented her from wandering back inside, but even it could not stop her from shivering. Ichigo took notice and scooted in her direction.

Almost reluctantly, she nodded, allowing him to wrap one strong arm around her in an attempt to warm her up. For a minute he thought the maneuver had worked. However, he soon felt goosebumps on her arms, and decided that he would have to take drastic action. He removed his arm and smiled at her look of disappointment. In a flash, he had moved to sit behind her. Rukia felt two arms around her waist and gasped as Ichigo pulled her backwards into his chest.

Ichigo hoped that such a drastic move hadn't upset her. He had heard her gasp and prayed inwardly that she wasn't about to turn around and slap him for being so familiar with her. "What? We can go inside if you want, but you haven't gotten much of a chance to look at the stars. It's the whole reason we came out here in the first place, and it's just starting to get good." Just like in the real world, the night sky in soul society became more dazzling as city lights were turned off. "At any rate, I can't just sit here and let you shiver." From below, the pair could hear what sounded like a cd player start up.

_It's taken time all this fear _

_I push back to move on  
its beating me like a panic_

_Attack since you've gone_

_And if I never feared to be so alone_

_I do now_

_I turn to see my faded tracks in the snow_

_I've come so far with no idea where to go_

_And if I never feared to be more alone_

_I do now_

_I need you to tell me_

_You'll be right by my side_

_When I feel alone_

_You'll be right by my side_

_In a crazy world_

_It's taken hold of a fool _

_With a fondness for pain_

_And turned to run without a chance to explain_

_And if I never thought_

_I'd fall like the rain_

_I do now_

_And don't look back to the spot where I fell_

_Don't you look back and don't you ever tell_

_Cause we know pride_

_Doesn't heal all that well_

Rukia felt something odd fall onto her shoulder. At first she thought that it might be starting to rain, but then remembered that the sky was entirely free of clouds. Realization dawned on her, and she knew…Ichigo was crying. Rukia had absolutely no idea what could have caused Ichigo to cry. He was the strongest person she'd ever met, both physically and emotionally. He had been through occasional bouts of something similar to depression when he was unable to protect his friends, but this was entirely different. Ichigo didn't show his emotions, unless of course the emotion was anger.

Going with the general direction of the evening, she decided to be daring, and wrapped her arms over his. "It's your turn. Do _you_ want to talk about it?" She felt him cringe and tighten his arms around her waist. Had he truly thought that she wouldn't notice?

"It's just…" he began in a whisper. "This song. It reminds me of a rough time. This song seemed to come on the radio a lot…when you were taken back to soul society. The way you had spoken to me…I dunno. I guess I kind of believed that you were okay with me dying, and you being arrested. A part of me…" he sniffled and cleared his throat, "believed that you would rather go back to soul society and be charged for a stupid crime than stay here with me and fight it."

Ichigo relinquished his hold on the stunned Rukia and walked over to the edge of the roof. He had hoped that he wouldn't ever have to talk about this. Even thinking about that time brought up pain greater than any even the strongest hollow could cause. He dried the remainder of his few tears away and crossed his arms, trying to regain even a small shred of dignity. His efforts were cut short when he felt two small arms wrap around him, followed by the feeling of a warm torso from a rather short person pressing against his back.

"I'm sorry. I never should have said what I did. My intentions were good, but I really couldn't sort through what needed to be said so quickly." Ichigo closed his eyes, and lowered his head, trying to block out any other sound than that of her voice. "I was trying to protect you. I know how dumb that sounds, but it's the truth. I thought that if you came to rescue me, that you'd be killed. I was okay with me dying, but you…" She paused and rested her forehead against Ichigo's back, "there's no way I could let you die. Especially not for my sake."

Before he could stop himself, Ichigo responded, "Idiot. If there was anyone in the world I'd be okay with dying for, it'd be you."

"And go down in the books as 'the boy stupid enough to give up his life for a girl he barely knows?'" Rukia asked, unsure if she wanted an answer.

"No. I'd go down as 'the boy crazy enough to give up his life for the girl he wished he knew." For a moment, Ichigo had considered saying 'for the girl he loved,' but there was no way that he was going to admit something so very deep, especially since he wasn't even sure if it was true yet.

She felt a little tinge of guilt at this statement. Had he really wanted to know her? Had she simply been blocking his way? No, that couldn't be it. Of course, she hadn't really tried to get to know him too terribly much either. Sure, she had slept in his closet, gone to school with him, and spent many sleepless nights slaying hollows with him, but she knew that this was only scratching the surface with Ichigo. There had to be more hidden deep within his mind.

"My favorite color is that deep green-blue of Anju's sword, I can sing, I can't swim for anything, I have a thing for vampires, and I really appreciate you letting me in like this. There. Better?" Her voice was almost more matter-of-factly than it had ever been. She stood there waiting for a few minutes, hoping that she hadn't pressed the line too much. She was rewarded by a similar confession from Ichigo.

"I much prefer violet as a color. No matter how much more of this world I see, the hue of your eyes remains at the top of my list of favorites. I hate cold water with a passion. Cold in general bugs me. I like soft, squishy pillows. I can't stand apples. Coffee gives me a headache. Vampires are cool, but I'd pick a certain short, annoyingly beautiful, stubborn as hell shinigami over them any day." He paused and let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "I, too, enjoy getting inside your head like this. The view is nice." A smile had replaced his sad frown, and his voice was almost humorous now. But something caught his eye as he began to move his head up. A tiny shadow fell across the porch below them.

"Doesn't that look kind of…out of place to you?" Rukia was shaken out of the beautiful moment too soon. She peered down in the direction Ichigo was pointing, smiling as he held his hand out in front of her, obviously his attempt at preventing her from falling over the edge. "Careful. We don't want you tumbling off the roof." Ichigo must have jinxed himself. As soon as he said this, he saw the shadow move, and realized that it was Anju who had created the tiny shadow. She had fallen asleep on the porch, her head against the wooden beam supporting the overhanging roof. However, she had obviously shifted in her sleep, and no longer had the beam to support her. Ichigo realized too late that she was now falling foreword toward the thirty foot drop in front of her.

His shock hadn't even registered before it had been abated. Before Anju had fallen a single foot, her sword had materialized at her back. The long ribbons on the end of the hilt swirled above her in a circular motion, resembling the action that helicopters used to lift off of the ground.

Ichigo heard a gasp from Rukia who remained at his side, now gripping his arm with both hands. She gaped at the still asleep Anju as she floated up toward the roof. As she arrived at their altitude, Ichigo extended his arms out, and the sword stopped in its efforts. Anju fell gently into Ichigo's waiting arms as her sword fell into Rukia's hands. The pair looked at one another with confused expressions. They knew that Anju had a deep connection to the earth, but for her to be saved by her own sword while unconscious…

"Lets get her to bed." Ichigo whispered, all concern gone from his face.

"Papa…" upon sensing the safety of Ichigo's arms, Anju mumbled the simple term in her sleep as she snuggled closer to the warm embrace. Ichigo's immediate reaction was to hold Anju closer, to keep her safe and warm. This action did not go unnoticed by Rukia, whose heart gave a jump at seeing the two getting along so well. Ichigo hopped down off of the roof, and Rukia followed. The short walk to her room took less than a minute. Rukia pulled the covers of Anju's small bed back and Ichigo set her down. Ichigo pulled the covers back over Anju's tiny sleeping form and went to follow Rukia out of the room. At the door, he turned and flipped the light switch off.

"Good night…princess." Ichigo didn't know why he'd said that. His words had simply come out before he could think. Shaking the oddity of his comment out of his mind, he closed the door silently and turned to find Rukia staring at him in wonder.

"Since when did you accept her as your 'princess?'" Rukia laughed quietly, taking a few steps back when Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her.

"Technically, she is a princess. Just like Lurichiyo. She's the Kuchiki heir. And she's not _my_ princess." The irritation had come back to Ichigo's voice, but in an intensity that paled in comparison to his daily use. In his attempt to cover for himself, he had made a mistake in what he had said.

"_She's_ not your princess. But you have one. Interesting." Rukia could barely contain the giggles she felt trying to escape. She loved playing around with Ichigo like this.

"I don't know what you're talking about midget." Clearly not willing to admit defeat, Ichigo was trying to get her to drop the subject. "I just don't want to get on her bad side. She might just be able to take me down. At the very least, she could hold out on feeding me. Would you quit looking at me like that?" Rukia had been staring at him with a mocking glare. She simply laughed, and backed up a few more steps.

"Oh yeah? You wanna laugh? I'll give you something to laugh at…" and Ichigo disappeared before Rukia's eyes. She stopped laughing immediately and turned in a circle, trying to locate the missing shinigami.

"Ichigo? Where are you? I swear if you jump out and try to scare me, I'll kill you." The humor that had been present in Rukia's voice moments ago had disappeared, and she sounded almost fearful. She knew that Ichigo was nearby, but couldn't follow the pattern of his riatsu. A giant roar filled the skies and Rukia spun around to find the source of the sound. Ichigo appeared at her side. The sound had been a shock to him as well.

"What's that noise?" Ichigo's voice was now just as fearful as Rukia's. Behind them, Anju's door slammed open and the tiny girl stomped out onto the porch, already dressed back in her shinigami robes. She looked up at the pale faces of Rukia and Ichigo.

"Freakin time jem thing." She muttered as she pulled on her captain robe, and started off toward the horrible sound.

"Anju, what is going on?" Rukia followed slightly behind Anju as she sprinted.

"Something came back with me. Uncle said that it was a possibility, but I assumed that since I got here without incident, that everything had gone smoothly. I guess I was wrong." The group stopped when they met up with a number of the other captains. Anju informed them of what she knew, and once again headed off toward the creature, only to be stopped by Rukia.

"You can't go after that thing, Anju. You don't even know what it is!" Rukia was beyond scared now. She simply couldn't imagine this tiny child going off to fight some unknown monster.

"Oh, I know what it is." Anju almost growled. "It's a Menos Entarce. Many of the arrancar that Aizen created were forced back into their menos forms after the war ended. Most are simply powerful versions of menos grande. Some have special abilities. Mostly, their abilities stem from attributes the soul had while it was alive. They're really not a problem for me, Rukia. I've fought tons of them." The girl sounded more annoyed than anything. She had been sleeping so peacefully.

"Well you're not going alone." Ichigo had spoken up at last. "We'll let you fight but we're gonna be right there with you. If you need us, just say the word. Don't be afraid to ask us for help." Ichigo set a reassuring hand on the little girl's shoulder, ignoring the shock on Rukia's face. "Lead the way, kiddo." Ichigo grabbed Rukia and steadied her against his own body. "Calm down, there's nothing to worry about. She'll be fine." His words did little to reassure her, but she followed along nonetheless.

VVVVVVVVVVV

A/N

The next chapter is already on its way to completion, thanks to great southeast texas weather preventing me from sleeping. It's far too hot, even by my standards.

I hope the heat isn't strangling anyone else. Thanks as always to my reviewers. I really appreciate anything you can tell me.


	11. Trouble Brewing

The trio had arrived at a flat spread of land not too far away from the 9th squad headquarters

I've got to warn you guys about this chapter, because there are spoilers for anything past the bount arc. So those of you who are watching Bleach on Adult Swim, and have yet to get past episode…um…I wanna say about 110 to be safe…there are some things that you might not get, such as the progression of hollows to higher forms, arrancar, and all that season mid5-7 stuff. It's not much in the way of actual spoilers, but I just thought I'd warn you.

EEEEEEEEE

The trio had arrived at a flat spread of land not too far away from the 9th squad headquarters. Atop the nearest hill stood what looked like a warped menos. Although it was still larger than an average hollow, its body was small than a menos grande, and more compact. The arms were more human-like, and the mask was red instead of white. The Entarce let out a loud screech that caused everyone within hearing distance to cringe.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Anju sounded grumpy, yet confident. She called forth her sword and stared down the loud beast. It looked right back at her, and disappeared from the mountain. Sighing, Anju stepped foreword and disappeared herself.

Ichigo drug Rukia over to a nearby tree and stood with his arms crossed. "I said quit lookin at me like that. She'll be fine. It's just a menos. Besides, we'll get to see her fight." Ichigo had a sincere interest in Anju's fighting abilities. As strong as she was, she was only a child. She didn't have the experience and years of knowledge that the other captains had acquired.

Anju's sword met the menos' arm, and left a deep gash. Screaming, the menos whipped itself around and swung at her. Finding that she was too fast to hit easily, the menos turned to use its cero. Anju easily dodged the red beam, but now realized that she was fighting far too close to her friends to be safe. In an attempt to draw the menos away from her audience, she faked a few attacks, and drew the menos further away from the 9th squad buildings. Much to her dismay, she saw both Rukia and Ichigo following her. Knowing that they could handle themselves, she ignored them and went back to attacking the hollow.

"Breathe, Zanasazi." Anju released her sword and used it immediately to remove a chunk of the flat land behind the menos, causing him to fall over onto his back as he tried to back away. Taking advantage of his shock, she swooped in and aimed for his mask. To her surprise, the hollow had disappeared again. She assumed that it was simply trying to run, and chased after it. As she came close to him again, he phased out of the dimension, and caused Anju to stop dead in her tracks. Menos entarce had never been able to travel through dimensions before, so where had this one gone?

Ichigo appeared next to Anju, sporting the same confused expression that she was. "What happened?" he asked with no hint of fear in his voice. His question was answered, not by Anju, but by the screech of the menos. Anju turned in time to see the menos swinging his arm down toward an unexpected Rukia. The next few seconds passed by in slow motion. Ichigo yelled in Rukia's direction, but it was too late. The menos had come back into their dimension only a few feet behind Rukia.

Without even thinking, Anju immediately used her power to raise a large block of land in between the menos and the suddenly aware Rukia. The menos' arm came down toward the earth, making a high-pitched whistle as it fell. The floating chunk of dirt would not be enough, and everyone knew it. However, it had slowed the blow enough to allow Anju to make her way underneath and reinforce the block with her own body. In a display of power greater than any previously seen from a menos, the entarce's sharp clawed hand carved through the earthen guard, and into one of Anju's arms.

Rukia was still frozen in shock. As the scene unfolded in front of her, she felt almost weightless. As her senses came back, she realized that she was, in fact, no longer standing. Ichigo had physically removed her from the danger zone, and was now on his way back to help the injured little girl.

Anju hadn't even cried out when the sharp claws had met her arm. Rather, she yelled behind her, "Ichigo i've got this. Take care of Rukia!" And with that, the battle resumed. Ichigo froze mid-stride, paused to consider her words, and made his way back toward Rukia. Within ten seconds, the battle was over. Anju had used a strong current of wind to knock the menos over as it was trying to escape to another dimension, and had shattered the mask with an almost simple flick of her sword. As the menos was vaporizing, she hopped back toward her worried friends. She pulled a ribbon from the end of her sword, using it to wrap around her injured arm.

"Are you guys okay?" She didn't even seem to notice the pain from her arm, flinching only when the ribbon tightened at the middle of the cut.

"Us? Seriously, you're worried about us? Anju your arm has been sliced open! We need to get you to 4th squad." Rukia couldn't believe that the girl was actually worried about others, even though _she_ was the one who was injured.

"It's not that bad. I've had worse" Anju sighed and finished up her wrapping job. "Alright. Let's go find someone to fix this. Freakin menos. Can't even get some sleep…" Ichigo had not said a word since he had returned to Rukia's side. The look on his face was indescribable. It seemed to Rukia that he was trying very hard not to express any hint of emotion whatsoever. Worried, she tried to hold his hand. She received a rather rough squeeze of her hand in return.

It took only minutes to reach 4th squad. Captain Unohana had started healing Anju's arm, but wanted her to stay the night in the medical unit. Ichigo and Rukia left her in the capable hands of the healers, and returned back to the Kuchiki house. Ichigo had remained silent, and Rukia was beginning to worry about him. Something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what.

Upon returning to Rukia's room, Ichigo stopped at the door. "I think I'm going to sit out here for a while." His voice was quiet and subdued. Rukia noticed something painful hiding behind his eyes, and decided not to press him right now.

"Okay. I'm going to shower." She turned to leave, and caught her name floating across the air behind her. She turned to see Ichigo, arms crossed, brow furrowed. "Did you say something?" She was sure he had said her name in a whisper, but he simply nodded no and left, closing the door behind him.

EEEEE

Though Rukia had purposefully taken a while in the shower to give Ichigo time to sort out whatever he was feeling, he had not re-appeared by the time she had gotten out. Hoping that she could help, Rukia set out to find Ichigo. She didn't have to look for long. He sat at the base of a tree outside the back entrance to the Kuchiki house. At first, Rukia feared to approach. Ichigo was sitting with his hands on his face, silently contemplating something. After a moment of indecision, she walked up to Ichigo and spoke softly.

"Ichigo…" He looked up at her in surprise, having not heard her approach, and she noticed for the first time the great amount of pain reflected in his eyes. Taking a moment to analyze the situation, she sat down and looked at her hands. "Is there something wrong? I mean, you've been really open and upbeat all day. But ever since the battle…well you've been quiet. I can tell something's wrong." He looked away from her and tried to hide the embarrassment in his eyes. "Please. I'm worried." Her voice was almost as sad as the look on Ichigo's face.

"You'll probably just laugh." He still wasn't looking at her, afraid to reveal the emotions he feared he couldn't hide.

"Have I laughed at anything you've said today?" Recalling the day's events, Rukia double checked the list of conversations they had had. She got a negatory head shake, and continued. "I thought that, considering the way we've been talking today that you would maybe trust me…" She lowered her head in shame, thinking that he might have changed his mind on how to treat her. She was only too surprised when he looked her directly in the eyes and confessed what he was feeling.

"I almost lost you today." His fists clenched and he leaned his head back against the tree. Rukia was taken aback. Had he really been that worried about her? "It just kind of made me realize…how stupid I've been. How clueless." He paused and tilted his face in her direction. "I'm sorry for…everything. Calling you names, making fun of you, yelling at you…all of it. I never meant any of it." His confession was so heartfelt that Rukia had to hold back her tears.

"Ichigo…I knew you were just kidding. I never really took any of that personally. Besides, half of it was because of me. I antagonize you far too much." She gave a light laugh. "I won't hold any of it against you, if you'll return the favor." Her smile was too blissfully kind for Ichigo to not return. He sighed and moved his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. She let her head rest against his shoulder.

"Deal." They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the time spent together in peace. However, an odd question soon pressed its way to the front of Ichigo's mind. "Um, Rukia? Where exactly am I supposed to stay? We don't need to be back in the real world for a few days, and I was hoping to stay here. A few days vacation would be nice."

"Hmm well there's always my floor…" she said as if she meant it. Ichigo could tell that she had hidden the sarcasm in her voice though, and knew exactly how to respond.

"Your floor, eh? I'll show you the floor…" and in a moment of lightheartedness, he rolled over and tackled Rukia to the ground in a fake wrestling match. She caught on quickly and managed to squirm out of his grip and force him onto his back, pinning his shoulders down to the ground. Unfortunately for her, he knew that she was ticklish, and his fingers attacked her sides, causing her to double over and roll off of him. He took advantage of her state and captured her arms, holding both of her tiny hands in just one of his. The match would have gone on longer if Ichigo had not been distracted by a dark line on her face.

Immediately he released her and moved his hands to inspect the out of place mark. His left hand gripped her chin while the fingers of the right flew to the offensive spot. Rukia stopped mid-giggle and looked at him with surprise. "What are you doing?"

"There's something on your face. Did you get scratched?" The look of sincere concern on his face made her heart quicken.

"Not that I can remember. It doesn't hurt…" Not that she really would have noticed. Ichigo's touch was very distracting. His thumb ran over the dark area on her cheek and came away with a dark spot of its own. "What is this? Dirt?" He inspected the spot closely, causing Rukia to take in a sharp breath. His face was inches from hers and she actually forgot to breathe for a minute. An unexpected touch shook her out of her temporary reverie.

"Here, I'll get it." Ichigo licked his finger and scrubbed the dirt off of Rukia's cheek. "I think I got it…" He leaned closer to double check. It was far too dark to tell without a close inspection. "Yep. All gone." Without a thought, he left a gentle kiss on the newly cleaned spot. Realizing what he'd just done, he froze. How on earth was he going to get out of this one?


	12. Stolen Pants

Hello again! This chapter is big on the fluff. I downloaded the bleach soundtracks today and some of the songs are just so dang beautiful that i couldn't resist. Hope no one minds P

LLLLLLLLL

A cold breeze angled its way up the slight slope that Ichigo and Rukia were sitting on. A leaf fell from above, disturbed by the wind. A few servants could be heard talking inside the nearby house.

The moment seemed to last an eternity. Ichigo had not removed his face from its position just centimeters away from Rukia's cheek. He was surprised that Rukia had not pushed him away already, that she had not gotten up, yelled, and stormed off. Then again, this was the new Rukia he was with. All of the arguing and fake anger had been forced out by the simple presence of a child, and they were left to deal with the consequences.

Ichigo worked up all of his confidence, and closed his eyes. He began, "Rukia…I'm…" But he was cut off by the presence of her tiny finger pressed against his lips.

"Ichigo, if you even _think_ about apologizing…_then_ you'll be sorry." She used her leverage on his lips to move his head back gently, transferring his face so that she could see it rather than simply feel it. Their eyes met, and Ichigo was shocked at the daring gaze she gave him. Hope reigned fiercely in the depths of her eyes, and a newfound sense of confidence could be felt from every inch of her. She waited a moment for his reply, hoping that he would get the message that she didn't want him to apologize. If he did, that would mean that he regretted kissing her on the cheek, and she would be sorely disappointed if that was the case. She received no answer, and continued, "That's what I thought. Now, if you'd please stop pouting, I'd actually like to get back inside. It's too cold to be comfortable out here." She stood up and presented her hand to help him get up.

Almost bewildered, Ichigo grabbed her hand and they made their way back inside. They stopped briefly at Anju's room, noticing that the light had been left on. "We should take care of that." Rukia opened the door and felt for the switch. The lights fell and Rukia stepped back in shock. "Ichigo, what's going on?" She scanned the walls of the child's room in confusion.

"You mean the stars?" Ichigo's eyes followed Rukia's. Anju had covered the walls and ceiling of her room with glow in the dark items. Among them were stars, dragons, hearts, and swirls. "Those are just glow in the dark decorations. They absorb light, and then glow in the dark. You've really never seen them before?" Her reaction amused Ichigo, but he knew better than to laugh. She really did have a lot left to learn about the real world.

"Where can I get some of those? They're amazing!" Rukia was truly excited. Ichigo silently decided that he'd take her to the mall when they got back home.

"We'll get you some when we get back to Karakura. It's not getting any warmer out here. You ready?" He knew that she would spend as long as he let her examining the glowing decorations, and grabbed her hand to pull her away, shutting the door behind them.

Upon reaching her room, Rukia grabbed another pair of pj's and wandered across the hall to change as Ichigo had made her current pair dirty by rolling her around on the ground. Meanwhile, Ichigo inspected the room. He'd only been in here once before, and had spent maybe a total of twenty seconds looking around. He picked up the pictures sitting on her desk. One was of Rukia and Renji as children. The next was of Rukia eating something that Ichigo recognized as an Orihime dish, with the said cook egging her on in the background. The last was a picture taken only a few weeks ago when Ichigo and Rukia had taken a trip to the beach.

Ichigo stood in the water with Rukia on his back. It was still early spring at the time, so the water was rather cold. Rukia had chickened out after taking only a few steps into the water. However, being stubborn, Ichigo didn't want her to miss out on her first trip to the beach. He had picked her up and drug her out into the ocean until he was waist deep in cold water. Her tiny feet dangled in, but she looked as if it didn't really bother her. The sun was shining, and Ichigo saw the picture in a whole new light. Whereas before, he saw the picture as proof that he could capture Rukia and force her to face her fear, he now held a new perspective. Every curve of her body was glowing. His eyes traced the delicate shadows created by the sun. How had he ever missed her beauty? He'd looked at this picture many times, and somehow, was just now seeing it for all it was.

He had managed to get Rukia, the second most stubborn person in the world to get on his entirely shirtless back, and ride out into the ocean, trusting him with her safety and dryness. She had clung to him for a minute, unsure. But once he settled in at an appropriate depth, she let herself relax and enjoy the beauty that surrounded them. She had even allowed him to swing her around a little bit. All too soon it had ended, but not before Yuzu had taken a picture. A goofy smile formed on Ichigo's face and he turned around to see Rukia coming back in through the hallway door, her comfy clothes reminding him of his earlier question that never got answered.

"Were you serious about me sleeping on your floor?" He poked at the tatami mat with his toe.

"No, silly. Here, help me with this…" She motioned for him to stand on the far edge of her bed, opposite of her. "Grab that little white knob right there." He did as she instructed and, together, they pulled out an entirely separate bed from underneath the original.

"Um, Rukia, why is there a bed hidden under here?" Ichigo wasn't going to complain. He had a comfortable place to sleep…not to mention it was literally two feet away from where Rukia would be sleeping. Curiosity, however, had forced him to ask.

"My brother originally bought this bed for Hisana when she got sick. The servant's quarters were far away from their room, and brother was often away during the night. Hisana hated having to make someone walk all the way across the house just to help her in the middle of the night, so she would take out this side bed, and her helper would sleep there in case she needed anything." Rukia moved to the closet and pulled out a set of sheets. She threw them at Ichigo and returned to rummaging through the closet. Pulling out a light blanket, she made her way back to the bed. "Want some help?" she inquired. Ichigo was not putting the sheets on as skillfully as she would have thought him capable of.

"Sure. Grab that corner," and together they made Ichigo's bed. But there was still one question on Ichigo's mind.

"What am I supposed to sleep in?" He sure as hell wasn't going to sleep in his shinigami robes, or naked. "I didn't bring anything with me cause I thought we'd be going home earlier this afternoon…" He stopped at the look on her face. She was blushing, and shifting her weight back and forth between her feet. "Rukia? Are you okay?"

"Um, I have something you can wear…" she tiptoed over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of sleep pants.

"What the hell? My green dragon pants!" he grabbed the object out of her hand and looked at her exasperatedly. "I've been looking for these for months. And you've had them here all along?" he let out a low growl and stepped up to the spot in front of Rukia. He leaned foreword until his face was less than an inch from hers. "Payback will be swift." He tested her eyes for a minute, then left to change. Rukia knew that he wasn't actually mad at her, but she was well aware of Ichigo's policy on payback. Sighing, she lay down in her bed and slipped under her covers.

She tried to sleep, but sleep just wouldn't come. Hearing Ichigo enter the room again, she instructed him to turn off the light. "If you're not ready to sleep, there's some manga over on that book case. The lamp over there should give you enough light without keeping the overhead light on."

"Nah I think I'm ready for bed." He flopped down on the side bed and found a comfortable position. "Good night, Rukia."

"Good night Ichigo." She could tell that he was, in fact, tired. It had been a rather long and exhausting day even though they hadn't really done much. She tried again to sleep, but was again denied the peace of slumber. Numerous times she rolled around, hoping to find a position that would ease her into sleep, but failed over and over. After a while, Ichigo spoke up.

"Rukia, would ya quit moving? I can feel it every time you do and it's keeping me up." Ichigo wasn't irritated, but rather worried. She'd always been such an easy sleeper. There had to be something keeping her up, though he had no idea what.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to quit." Her voice was low and soft, and the slight air of impatience confirmed his suspicions. Now to find out what's on her mind.

"Am I bothering you down here? I can always just sleep in Anju's room. The glowy walls have probably faded by now…" this was the first thing he could think of. Perhaps she was nervous having him so close? They had always slept in the same room, but never so close, and out in the open like this.

"No, it's not you. My mind is just a little…busy." It was the truth. She actually liked having Ichigo so close. He was quite a comfort. However, his proximity was part of the problem in a different way. She left it at her previous statement and rolled to face away from him. Her hopes that he would just leave it alone were dashed in seconds. The sheet she had wrapped herself in was moving. Before she could escape, Ichigo had pulled the sheet, and Rukia, down to his level.

"Alright, let's have it. What's wrong?" he sounded more sleepy than irritated. Rukia had wanted to discuss this earlier, but just couldn't seem to find the courage.

"I just…I saw something earlier. When Anju brought me out to the lake, I was asleep. But I woke up while she was talking to Atsuko. I overheard some things I shouldn't have." Anju hadn't specifically told her not to tell Ichigo about what she had heard. Rukia hoped that Anju wouldn't be mad.

"Something bad?" Ichigo was interested now, and Rukia could tell that he was in a heavy battle against his sleepiness.

"Not bad. Just kind of…revealing." She felt Ichigo adjust himself to be more comfortable, and was surprised that she figured into that comfort. He had pulled her in close and now rested his hand against her lower back. After a light 'mmm' she continued. "Anju was talking about her past. She was feeling homesick, and started talking about that lake…" Rukia related what she had heard to Ichigo, including the traditions, drowning game, and home movie. By the time she had finished, Ichigo's eyes were fully open and his hand was pressing more firmly into her back.

It took him a few minutes to come up with a response, but when he did, it made Rukia laugh.

"Remind me to thank Urahara for his discretion." He let out a single laugh and brought Rukia even closer to him. "Thanks for telling me. It's neat to hear about things like that." The sleepiness had returned to his voice once more and Rukia knew that he would be asleep in moments. "Are you okay to sleep now?" his voice had died down into a whisper, and the sound of it gave Rukia goosebumps.

"Yeah." She knew that after having gotten that off of her mind, she would be able to sleep peacefully. But her bed seemed so far away, and the thought of the cold, empty sheets made her crinkle her nose.

"Hmm good. Sleep well." Ichigo adjusted her so that her head came to rest on his shoulder. By the time Rukia realized the truth of the situation, Ichigo was already fast asleep. She lay there for a minute, listening to his breathing and the beating of his nearby heart. _Sometimes,_ she thought _I swear he can read my mind._ That was the last thing she remembered thinking before drifting off to sleep.

OOOOOOOOOO

A/N

So we finally end the first day.  
About darn time.  
Things are changing very rapidly and i can't wait to get to tomorrow. I don't have anything planned, cause i never do to be honest, but i'm sure i'll come up with something.

Thanks reviewers! You keep me in very high spirits!


	13. Awaken

I know there have been quite a few moments of out of character-ness but you godda remember that the appearance of Anju has had a great effect on both Rukia and Ichigo. For the longest they've held back their feelings because they thought it could never work. She's dead, he's a teenage boy-human-shinigami-hollow...thing. Now that they have proof of it working out, they're not so afraid to just let things out. That's kind of the angle i'm coming from. Hope it makes sense.

Sorry i didn't get this up earlier. It took a while to get it just right )

LLLLLLLL

The sun had yet to rise on Seireitei, but something had stirred Rukia from her peaceful slumber. A few awkward sounds coming from the room next door had first invaded her dreams and confused her unconscious mind. She had been in a rather heart-warming scene. She, Ichigo, and Anju were at the house that Rukia had seen in Anju's video. It was Halloween, and the family was getting ready to go trick-or-treating in the real world. They had all dressed as characters from the Broadway musical Wicked. Anju was Chistery the monkey, Rukia was portraying Elphaba, and Ichigo, naturally, was Fiyero. A knock at the door had interrupted the goings on, and the dream Rukia had gone to answer it. Upon opening the door, Rukia had awakened and realized that the knocking sound was actually happening somewhere around her.

It was after this disheartening fact had sunk in that Rukia realized another unusual fact. She remembered falling asleep against Ichigo last night, and had somehow managed to wind up as the small spoon during the night. Judging by the movement of Ichigo's chest against her back, she could tell that he was still asleep. She had the intense desire to get up and stop the annoying knocking sound, but was prevented from doing so by Ichigo's arm, which currently draped over her waist and had managed to sneak its way between her arms.

The knocking was joined by the sound of voices conversing nearby. This time, she was not the only one to hear them. Ichigo began stirring, only to freeze once he realized where he was. Uncertainly, he asked, "Rukia? Are you awake?"

"Yeah. Did I wake you?" She felt the awkwardness melt away at the sound of his voice.

"Nah. What time is it?" He casually pulled his arm from around her and sat up.

"Early. The sun's not even up yet." She lost her voice at the very sight of him. He stretched, revealing an entirely shirtless chest, two bare muscular arms, and a sloppy head of hair. The effect only worsened when he began running his hands through said hair to lessen the effects his pillow had had on it.

"Really? Then why are we awake?" Ichigo began to sink back into the bed at her answer, feeling the desire to go back to exactly what he was doing moments ago.

"There's some noise coming from next door. Or, at least there was…" the noise had ceased, and Rukia began to sit up to listen more closely. She made it to a leaning position before she felt a tight pain in her neck. She froze at the feeling and scrunched her face up, hoping that Ichigo had not noticed. However, Ichigo had not been able to take his eyes off of her since he had woken up. Her loose t-shirt fell ever so simply over her petite form, leaving less to the imagination than anything he had seen her in. Her hair was not perfectly placed as it usually was. Instead, it had been allowed to simply do as it pleased. Ichigo could swear he'd never seen her so revealed before. Not physically, of course, but rather, she seemed to be allowing him in on a private look that she never allowed anyone to see.

"What's wrong?" He asked at her grimace. He worried that she had slept funny, and hoped that this was not the case. Last night had been the best he'd ever slept, and wanted Rukia to be able to say the same.

"My neck is just a little sore. I think it's the way that I slept." Ichigo's face became grave at this, fearing that it was in fact a confirmation of his earlier thoughts. Seeing his reaction, she clarified, "No, I didn't mean…not from last night. I fell asleep against Captain Hitsugaya's desk yesterday. It was a rather awkward position." She smiled as his calmed expression. "To be honest, last night is up there on my list of best nights."

"Mine too." He considered the situation for a moment, and continued. "Here. Sit up and lean back." He patted the spot in front of him and she obeyed, confusion written all over her face. She sat in front of Ichigo, facing away. A small gasp escaped her mouth as she felt Ichigo's hands on her back. His thumbs met at the center of her lower back, tracing a path up her spine as the other eight digits fell around the petite curve of her sides. It surprised her when he once again spoke. "The stress from yesterday probably didn't help. I'm sorry if I added to it." His hands reached her shoulders and began massaging the sore muscles gently.

Rukia relaxed into his touch and allowed her head to fall foreword slightly, revealing the smooth skin of her neck. "You've more than made up for any damage done. You don't have to do this you know…" She didn't want him to stop, but feared her ability to control her thoughts if he continued touching her like this.

"I know. But it seems to be helping. Are you feeling any better?" His hands continued in their pursuit to bring her relief and he received a small nod. "Good." He smiled and leaned foreword, placing a kiss on each of her shoulders. His arm once again found its way around her body, and he pulled her further back into himself. Using Rukia's original bed as support, he leaned back, not allowing her back to separate from his chest. If she hadn't stirred, he might have just fallen asleep like that.

A hell butterfly had landed on one of Rukia's outstretched fingers. She relayed the message to him.

_Good morning! I hope you both slept well. I'm taking my squad out for a little getting to know you exercise this morning. There is some cut up fruit, and home baked banana nut bread in the kitchen if you're hungry. See you at lunch!_

Anju's butterfly flew off, leaving Rukia with a fuzzy feeling. Somehow, this feeling led to an array of others, which led back to the awkwardness that she had felt upon waking up. She sighed, and reluctantly left Ichigo's embrace. The look of sadness on his face was almost enough to make her crawl back into his arms, but the pain in her heart prevented such an action from overtaking her. She walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. The sun was rising, and Rukia allowed the warmth to replace the cold that had settled in upon leaving Ichigo.

"What's wrong now?" His voice sounded so close. Had she not left him sitting on the bed? Of course she had, but he had followed her to the window in worry. She should have known.

"I'm just…going through a…I think a stage of disbelief. When Anju showed up, I accepted that she was mine, and had no problem with her being here or being so wonderful. I still don't, but she's made me see some things that I had hoped were just…in my imagination." She sighed and turned to Ichigo. "I've been such a fool." She laughed half-heartedly and Ichigo saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes. Instinctively, he reached up to hold her face in his hands.

"You're only a fool if you truly think that." He gave her a hopeful smile and brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Now, what exactly are you so worked up about?"

Rukia had to plan her words carefully. She didn't want to reveal too much to Ichigo at once. "Ever since I came to Karakura town, and started spending time with you and your friends, I felt different. I always thought it was just the change of scenery. After Kaien died, I was rather lonely in Soul Society. I mean, yeah I have Renji, but…it just wasn't the same. And then I came here." She moved her eyes up to meet his. "I met you, and your friends. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I…belonged. I figured it was just an effect of the real world. I was happy. I fell in with your friends and started to almost consider this place home."

"And that's a bad thing?" Ichigo was confused. First, why was she telling him this? And second, why was she acting so sad if she was telling him how happy she'd been in the real world?

"No. I'm happy that things worked out the way they did. I wouldn't change a thing. Except…" She drifted off into thought and Ichigo set his forehead against hers to bring her back.

"Except what?" He really had no idea what she was talking about. Was she regretting sleeping in his closet? Introducing herself to his family? Taking up a bed in his sisters' room? Coming back to the real world after regaining her spiritual powers?

Rukia was reluctant to say any more. She knew that if she said what she was thinking, it would change everything. The desire in her heart won out over the will of her head and she spoke at last. "I automatically picked up on the same thoughts that your friends had…about you and Inoue." Her blush became more pronounced and she pulled back to look at him, hoping not to see sadness. She was relieved when all she saw was confusion.

"Wait…what? You've completely lost me now…" To be honest, she hadn't _totally_ lost him. He thought that he knew of what she was referring to, and hoped that he was wrong.

"Well all of our friends…Ishida, Chad, Tatsuki, everyone…they all know exactly how Inoue feels about you. It wasn't hard for me to see it either." Her tears had dried up and had been replaced with an air of regret.

"Yeah, well, I guess she can be kind of obvious sometimes…" Ichigo had known for a while that Inoue felt that way bout him, but he had refused to admit that to anyone else. He simply didn't feel that way about Inoue, and he never had. "But why are you bringing this up now?"

Rukia stole a glance at his eyes, and was instantly pulled in by their depth. She couldn't go back now. "I always just assumed that you didn't know. You can be kind of clueless sometimes. But, I thought that you'd figure it out one day, and…I dunno…end up with Inoue."

"And just where would you get an idea like that?" Amusement joined the other emotions running rampant in his voice, and that caused Rukia to be taken aback slightly.

"Well, all of your friends…they all think that way. Your father too, and your sisters. What was I supposed to think?" The way Ichigo was talking made her feel almost embarrassed to have even considered the possibility that Ichigo could one day return Inoue's feelings.

"You're supposed to think for yourself. You've never listened to those idiots at school before. Why let them push this idea on you?" His amusement grew as the irritation in Rukia's voice became obvious.

"Well it's easier than letting myself think about…other possibilities." She finished in a whisper, letting her head fall as low as she could. Backing up a few steps from Ichigo, she crossed her arms and waited for the reply she feared would cause disaster.

After a moment of deliberation, Ichigo stepped foreword, surprising Rukia. "You agreed to stop running away from me. Don't make me tackle you again. I don't want to ruin another pair of your pj's." He felt relief at her honest reply. The past few months had been a game of who's going to give in first. Being the most stubborn man in the universe, Ichigo had completely refused to say a word about how he felt toward Rukia. She had done the same, up until now. Ichigo's relief grew, and he realized that the game was almost over.

"And as for these 'other possibilities', there's only ever been one possibility for me. It's not your fault that you can't read minds." His confidence was just about at its limit, and the blush that he'd been holding back finally made its way to his cheeks. He'd gone over many similar speeches in his mind, preparing for the moment in which he would be allowed to use one of them. "It would have made things a lot simpler if you were able to though. Then you'd have realized that Inoue's not the one I'm interested in." The cockiness of his everyday demeanor returned, and that crooked half smile he always employed found its way out to his lips. "I swear, sometimes I think you women just do these things to annoy us guys."

Rukia couldn't believe what he was saying. She, too, had thought through her speech countless times. She'd anticipated all kinds of replies from Ichigo, from outright rejection to disappointment, to anger. The one reply she hadn't even dared hope for seemed to be the one she was getting. Unsure of what to do, she used the tried and trusted tactic she'd employed since day one: false bickering.

"Maybe we do. Of course if you boys didn't spend all of your time trying to confuse and mislead us girls, then you'd probably get less of 'these annoying things' you speak of." Ichigo's confidence seemed to be spreading to her, and she realized that she could, in fact, deal with such a sudden change in the pattern of their relation to one another. She uncrossed her arms and moved her hands to their regular spot: her hips.

"Geeze, it's about time. I thought I was going to have to do something drastic to pull the real Rukia out of there. Moping doesn't suit you." There was the Ichigo she knew. Relief came over her as she heard his normal attitude return. Her moment of calm was replaced by shock, however, at the next words out of his mouth. "You're far too beautiful to be frowning like that. Besides," he moved closer to her once more and allowed his hand to find its place against her cheek, "when you get like that, I can't see your eyes. They get all cloudy and the color seems to fade a little bit." He inched closer, praying that his confidence would hold out. When his face was merely centimeters away from hers, he surprised her once again with his candor. "Though I must admit, when you pout, your lips just look so darn irresistible…"

The space between them closed completely as Ichigo bent down and brushed his lips against Rukia's. She hadn't tried to escape. She hadn't pushed him away. She simply took in a small gasp of air and relaxed. Remembering to breathe, she exhaled gently and was intoxicated by her next breath. His proximity had brought more than the physical presence of Ichigo. His scent was swirling around her, invading her airway and causing her head to swim. The brilliance was intensified even more when they separated, allowing their breath to intermingle between them.

"Now would you please just lie down and go back to sleep? It's far too early for such life-altering conversations." Grabbing one hand off of her hip, Ichigo drug Rukia back to the lower bed and practically collapsed down in exhaustion. Rukia stood at the edge and contemplated the gravity of the move she was considering. "Before you even go into it, yes, I kissed you, no this is not a dream, no you're not dead, and yes we will talk about it later. Stop being such a girl and come here." He stretched his hand out and she took it willingly. Within minutes of snuggling up next to Ichigo, she was asleep. Ichigo followed at lightening speed.


	14. Itsugo!

Hmm, Ichigo thought in his sleep, so warm and comfortable

Alright, a couple of things about this chapter. First, it covers many of the things and people in the seventh season of the Anime. Having not read the manga yet, I'm going to go with the anime as far as the info we know so far. Those of you who haven't seen season seven will probably be confused…so here's a link to an explanation of the speech Anju goes into later in the chapter.

en./wiki/Hollow(Bleach)

As far as Nel goes, I'm also retaining all of the anime info and ignoring the manga info for now. I just read up on Nel, and found out that she has an adult form and was previously an Espada (number 3 to be exact). I'm just gonna ignore that and pretend that I don't know it. The Nel in this story is the tiny, cute, child-like arrancar Nel, not the Espada.

I hope I'm not ruining anything for anybody…

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! You have no idea how much that helps.

OOOOOOOOOO

Anju stood around a corner, secretly looking on at her new squad. She was terribly nervous, and had been up since five that morning preparing. But now that the time had come to introduce herself, she felt terrified. Gathering all of her strength, she stepped out of the shadows and into view of the fifth squad. Silence fell upon the assorted men and women in black, and Anju gulped. She allowed her memorized speech to flow out as she bowed.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Anju Kuchiki, and I'm your new captain. Thank you all for meeting me so early in the morning." She received a few odd stares, a few shocked faces, and a few mumbles.

_Did she say Kuchiki?_

_She's just a kid!_

_The commander's gone mad…_

Anju held back a scowl, refusing to let them see that they were getting to her. She simply kept her gentle smile, although she could not control the sadness creeping up in her eyes. A young woman stepped foreword and bowed in return.

"Welcome to the fifth squad, Captain Anju. I'm your vice-captain, Hinamori. It's very nice to meet you." Hinamori had been let in on Anju's presence in soul society by none other than Captain Hitsugaya. She'd heard all about the new girl, and was only to happy to welcome a new captain to the squad. The entire group had been losing morale ever since Aizen had left, and things had only gotten worse after the winter war. She hoped that the presence of a new captain would bring the squad back together.

"Thank you Hinamori." Anju had intended to continue her planned speech, but was interrupted when she saw the looks on her squad member's faces. They all appeared to be frozen in space, fear written on their faces. Hinamori's face joined in on the festivities, and Anju turned to see the cause of the commotion.

"Good morning, Captain Anju. I see you've met your squad." Byakuya stood tall, his hands locked behind his back. He looked out at the shocked faces in front of him, giving a stare of his own in return.

"Good morning, Uncle. What are you doing here? It's awfully early…" Anju was almost as surprised as her squad, although she did not display it like the others did.

Byakuya took a single second to look down at Anju before walking around her to stand at the head of the assembled group. "Fifth squad, Anju is in fact your new captain. I trust that you will all respect her, and do as she asks. Anyone that steps out of line…will have to deal with me. Enjoy your training." Byakuya loved intimidating people like this. If he wasn't trying to maintain his cold demeanor, he'd have smiled at the joy he felt. He turned back to Anju and spoke one last time. "Thank you for breakfast this morning. Do your best." And with that, he left.

Anju was used to Byakuya protecting her in the future, but she had expected him to take at least a few years to adjust to her presence here. Confused, she turned to look at her squad. They stood in a large clump, their attention entirely devoted to her. She took advantage of their new-found respect, and decided to go ahead with her plans for the day. "Okay. Well then…is everyone ready to get started?" She received many nods from across the sea of faces, and smiled, grateful for her uncle's interference. _At least this might not be as difficult as I thought now. _"Alright. If everyone would follow me, we've got a bit of a walk." Hinamori fell into line behind Anju and the rest of the squad followed suit. Together, they traveled to their unknown destination.

OOOOOOOOOO

_Hmm_, Ichigo thought in his sleep, _so warm and comfortable._ _How could I have lived without this for so long? Wait, where is the warm going?_ The change in peace stirred him from his slumber, and he opened one eye to give Rukia a questioning stare. He managed a slight scowl with a hint of annoyance in his half-asleep state, and couldn't even get out a full question before Rukia squirmed her way out of his arms. "Where are you go…"

"Someone's knocking." She was slightly panicked, but glad that whomever it was at the door had had the decency to knock. She made her way to the door, adjusting her pj's into their proper position. Taking one last look back at Ichigo to insure his consciousness, she took a breath, and opened the door. "Brother?"

"Good morning Rukia. I need to have a word with you…and Kurosaki." Although his voice contained hints of hostility, his face betrayed the amusement he felt in his heart at seeing his nemesis sprawled out, mouth open, tangled in blankets. Upon hearing his name, Ichigo opened both eyes and sat up, finally aware of Byakuya's presence. "What are your plans for this morning, boy?"

Ichigo took a moment to blink his tired eyes clear and stare at Rukia, silently asking her for help. He received no answer, and decided that the truth was best. "I don't have any plans."

"Good. Anju is in need of your assistance. West of the 5th squad headquarters you will find a dirt path. Follow it out about a mile and you will find her." Byakuya turned to Rukia. "And you? Have you any plans this morning?" His voice changed from ice to simply nonchalance.

"Yes, brother. I have a meeting with my squad at ten." Rukia had no idea where any of this was coming from, but at least Byakuya had not become enraged at Ichigo's presence in her room.

"Very well." Byakuya gave Rukia a second-long glance and left.

"What was all that about?" Ichigo said grumpily from his place on the bed. Byakuya had just ordered him to do something, but it had almost sounded like a request. Ichigo knew that Byakuya had probably never _requested_ anything in his life, and shook the nonsense from his head, turning his attention back to Rukia as she sat back down on the bed.

"I have no idea." Her brother had been far more civil than she had expected upon seeing him at the door. He rarely came to her room for anything. "The fact that he came over here to talk to us means that whatever he wanted was important. Are you going to help Anju?"

"Well, I guess so. It's almost time for you to go isn't it?" The disappointment in his voice mirrored the same emotion in hers.

"Yeah. We should probably get ready. I'll walk you out to the place brother talked about." Rukia got up and moved to her closet, removing a clean set of robes. After changing in the bathroom, she came back into the room to see a fully dressed and ready Ichigo fiddling with something on her desk.

"You ready to go?" It seems her words had shaken him out of deep thought, and he turned with a red face toward her.

"Yeah. Where exactly are we going?" He didn't like the idea of spending the morning with a squad he knew nothing about without Rukia. Heck, if he'd have had a choice in the matter, he'd have taken Rukia and run off to some secluded location. As much as he was not looking foreword to having a complicated talk with her, her presence would undoubtedly make up for the discomfort.

"Out to the fifth squad headquarters. Weren't you listening?" She let a tiny bit of annoyance into her voice, her only natural defense from his adorably blushing face. She'd obviously caught him unaware with her entrance. The embarrassed look she'd received warmed her heart, and she had to physically shake the attraction she felt aside. For the moment at least.

It took less than five minutes to make it to the dirt road Byakuya had described. Ichigo stood with his arms crossed, wishing that Rukia could accompany him. _At least I have some time to plan what I'm going to say now._ His thoughts were interrupted by the feel of her hands in his hair. Concentration covered her face as she re-arranged the orange mess atop his head, pulling and twisting to try to find a decent shape. The entire move had caught him off guard, and it took him a while to recover. By the time he had, she'd already taken a few steps back and was on her way toward her own destination.

"Hey, wait up." Ichigo stepped foreword, catching her in a few steps thanks to his long strides. He grabbed her arm gently and spun her around to see the disappointment clear on her face. He thought he knew what was causing it, and corrected his mood to account for the situation. "Rukia…I promised we'd talk. And we will. Let's just get through lunch, and then…" He paused to think of something that would cheer her up. "We'll go out to that lake, okay? And…we'll talk. I promise." Her blush and smile convinced him that he'd accomplished his goal. He bent down and left a light kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you in a few hours." He backed up, already envying the ground she stood on. He left her with a hopeful smile and proceeded out toward his destination.

OOOOOOOO

"Itsugo! Itsugo!" A tiny solid mass had just rammed itself into Ichigo's stomach, followed by something very soft around his waist and two very different girly giggles. "You're really here Itsugo! Nel missed you!"

_No way. It can't be…_Ichigo thought to himself. But his hopes were shattered when he looked down. There, attached to his front, was none other than Nel, tears falling down her face, and her crooked arrancar mask pressed into his stomach.

"Nel, what are you doing here?" Ichigo feared the worst. Had Nel come here to find him? If so, how had she done it? And how had she not been killed already?

"I can explain that." Anju stepped up next to Ichigo and smiled. "I brought Nel here from Hueco Mundo to help with the demonstrations." At Ichigo's confused face, she added, "Well everyone needs to know exactly what they're going up against. Few of them have the advantage of having been to Hueco Mundo themselves. It's part of my job to teach them about everything that place has to offer." Anju smiled at how happy Nel was to be back with Ichigo, and continued what she was doing before Ichigo showed up.

"As I was saying, this is Nel. She's an arrancar from Hueco Mundo. She knows more about that place than any of us since she's lived there for…a long time." Anju didn't know how old Nel was, but knew that she couldn't be terribly new at being an arrancar with all of the information she held. "Before any of you get freaked out, she's not a bad guy. She helped Ichigo and his friends rescue a companion that was kidnapped by Aizen. Together, I'm pretty sure the three of us can give you a fairly good idea of what we're up against."

"What are you talking about, Anju?" Although Ichigo was happy to see Nel again, he was getting annoyed at being surprised like this. Why hadn't Anju asked him about this first?

"You've got a lot of first hand experience fighting with the…things…in Hueco Mundo. I mean, I've been there too, but even I haven't been inside Las Noches like you have. Commander Yamamoto is having me go through training sessions with all of the squads to tell them all of the nitty gritty on the arrancar, menos, and those freaky espada." Anju made a face that produced a giggle from Nel, who had just now emerged from Ichigo's stomach.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Juju! Nel is so happy to see Itsugo again!" Nel released her hold on Ichigo and walked over to Anju, joining hands.

"Wait, how did this happen? How do you know Nel? And why aren't there people out here trying to kill her? This is soul society after all…" Ichigo was feeling better, but his fears had still not been abated.

"I told commander Yama all about how Nel helped you in Hueco Mundo. As far as being an Arrancar…we're just overlooking that. She's an ally, and the commander knows that. And I just told you, I've been to Hueco Mundo myself. With daddy and a few others. We went to gather intel…reading riatsu levels, taking measurements, that kind of stuff. Nel found us almost as soon as we got there. She and I were instant friends." Anju hoped that this was a good enough explanation for Ichigo, as she did have a job to do. Her squad was waiting, and Ichigo was just being his normal impatient self. "Now could you just sit there and be quiet while I try to get through this stuff?" She threw an almost threatening glance at Ichigo and he obeyed.

"Good. Thank you. Okay, fifth squad, time to begin the demonstration." Anju grabbed her sword, and released it in a flash. "Everyone stand still, and please do not be frightened at what you're about to see. You're in absolutely no danger." She brought her sword around to her front and held it vertically, as close to the ground as she could get it without touching it. Closing her eyes, she began a chant under her breath.

The nearby lake began to tremble, causing everyone within range to lose their balance. In an instant, the water in the lake drained into a floating puddle in the sky, and separated into three masses. Anju began, "There are three types of Menos. The Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lordes." As she spoke each of the names, the three puddles each turned into a different type, mirroring the common image of the menos. Anju went on to explain the differences between each, and gave descriptions of their powers. Nel interjected a few times to add information that Anju did not know, or had forgotten.

After this, Anju went on to explain the arrancar, from the Espada to the Numeros and everything in between. She asked Ichigo to explain the Privaron Espada since he and his friends had quite a bit of experience in dealing with them. Nel added her bits of information in this segment as well, giving the squad an overall grand picture of the residents of Hueco Mundo. Before they knew it, the clock reached noon, and Anju dismissed everyone for the day.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Nel. I'm so glad to have your input, it's been such a help." Anju hugged Nel and allowed her to say goodbye to Ichigo before opening the gate to Hueco Mundo with a Garganta-type technique she obtained from the Bureau of Technology in her time. She and Ichigo walked back to the main part of Seireitei in silence.

OOOOOOOOOO


	15. At last

Goodness, i'm definitely loving these reviews! It makes me kinda giddy! The only thing that can take away from said happiness is the fact that i need to pay my freakin tuition soon, and go buy my books. Stupid college. sigh

Aaaand the plot thickens...

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Whaat?" Rukia had just been told of the adventures of the morning. She, Ichigo, and Anju sat around a table discussing the demonstration, Nel, and Anju's ability to use Garganta. "But Mayori said that was impossible! Soul society's been trying to find a way to open a path to Hueco Mundo for months!"

"Rukia, you've gotta remember, I'm from three hundred years in the future. There's a lot of things that we know that we didn't in this time. Besides, Mayori is far too close-minded and blatantly crazy to have thought of this technique." Anju popped a dumpling in her mouth and tucked a long strand of wavy orange hair behind her ear. She was irritated at the thought of Mayori. Although she was not allowed to tell anyone, Mayori had died when she was very young in a freak accident in some experiment he was running. Everyone had, of course, secretly celebrated his death while pretending to mourn. A new captain had been appointed, and everyone loved him.

"Well I guess that's true. But aren't you going to share how to do the technique with everyone else? That's a major breakthrough." Not that Rukia herself had ever had the desire to open a gate to Hueco Mundo, but she knew the importance of such an ability.

"With some, yes. The captains shall be taught, of course. But the average shinigami won't be allowed to know how. If they did, anyone could just jet off to Hueco Mundo and get themselves killed." Anju hoped that her answer satisfied her audience, but was disappointed at Ichigo's response.

"What about me? Don't I need to be taught too?" He'd been to Hueco Mundo and fought countless members of Aizen's team. Shouldn't he have a right to know?

"Techinically, yes. I'm going to teach you using a different technique from the others though. And you're not to tell anyone. Daddy made up a technique of his own using his inner hollow, and that's the way I'll teach you. The others don't have inner hollows, obviously, so I have to use the 'official' technique with them." A hint of worry carried from her face to her nervous fingers as she fiddled with an apple.

"Wait…how are you able to teach me something using my inner hollow? It's not like…" Ichigo stopped, his mind frozen in concern. "Anju, how exactly are you able to use my…future self's inner hollow technique?" He knew the answer in his heart, but hoped that he was wrong.

Anju lowered her head, almost ashamed that she had let such confidential information slip. "Well I guess you'll find out anyway…" She lifted her head and looked directly at Ichigo. Her eyes turned gold, and the whites clouded over with a black mist. At her nose, a black beak appeared, followed by the more northern parts of an owl-looking white mask. Her mouth and chin remained uncovered, and she spoke with embarrassment. "I'm not supposed to tell you this either. But by the look on your face, you figured it out on your own. I, too, have an inner hollow." Her mood lightened, no doubt an attempt to rectify the situation. "It's nothing, really. Just a random useful little mask is all." She gave a fake laugh and the mask disappeared, leaving what had to be her attempt at a carefree face behind. "Come on, let's not talk about me. Rukia, how was your meeting?"

The mood stayed awkwardly on edge for the rest of the meal. That is, until Ichigo mentioned Nel again. "Next time you bring Nel in from Hueco Mundo, let me know, would ya? I miss her and all, but I'd like to know ahead of time when I'm going to be headbutted by a tiny arrancar." The previous anxiety in his voice had vanished, and humor had taken its place.

"Sure. If I'd have known you were coming to help me, I'd have told you about her visit. Though I'm kinda glad now that you had a meeting at the time, Rukia. Goodness knows there wouldn't have been any peace if you'd have come…" Anju once again changed the subject, but for a different purpose this time. She knew of Nel's feelings for Ichigo, and had been around for many awkward moments between the arrancar and Rukia before. Silently thanking Ichigo, she decided on a plan of action, using his own topic to try to foreword the honesty between her future parents.

"What do you mean?" Rukia remembered having an awkward moment with Nel when she'd met the tiny girl in Hueco Mundo all those months ago, but she didn't know what it was about.

"Nel's jealous of course." Anju received two curious stares, and continued. "You two really are blind. Just because Nel looks young, doesn't mean that she can't have grown up feelings." A pang of remorse hit her at this statement. She hadn't meant things to go exactly this way, and went on before she could dwell on the pain building up inside of her. "She like you Ichigo. She's jealous of Rukia."

"How so?" Rukia was curious. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Ichigo yet, but felt that egging Anju on might force his hand.

Before Anju could respond, Ichigo jumped in. "Are you crazy? Nel is way too young to feel that way about anyone, much less me." His insensitive comment hit a sore spot in Anju's heart and she curled into herself slightly.

"I told you, you don't have to be a grown up to love someone." The heartbreak was evident on her face, but Ichigo was too busy being his stubborn self to realize it. He went to object, but Anju stood up and mumbled, "You can't choose who you fall in love with. If only things were that simple…" She let her gaze fall on the pictures framed on her night stand, and was gone before either Ichigo or Rukia could stop her.

"What on earth was that about? Crazy kid and her theories…" Ichigo huffed. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that Nel really did like him, but hated to admit it to anyone.

"I don't know, but my guess is that you hit a nerve. What was she just looking at?" Rukia got up and walked the short distance to the night stand. Upon it sat two pictures, one of Anju in her captain uniform, her parents standing proudly behind her. The other was of an older Anju curled up in someone's lap, sleeping. Rukia didn't recognize the face, but the man wore a captain's uniform just like Anju, and was at least fifty years older than her. The look on his face gave the game away. He was gazing down at the sleeping Anju, love and admiration plainly written on his every feature. Rukia wanted to confirm her suspicions, and was granted her wish when Atsuko wandered into the room to take the plates away.

"Good afternoon miss Rukia, mister Ichigo." Atsuko bowed and started toward the table. Rukia met her half way, the picture in her hands.

"Atsuko, I have a question." The strange doll's face showed her willingness to answer, and Rukia continued. "Who is holding Anju in this picture?" She presented the object in question, and Atsuko answered immediately.

"Well, that's mister Kuran. He's the captain of the 12th squad in our time. He and Anju were practically raised together, and have been best friends since day one." Rukia was perfectly satisfied with this answer, but was surprised when the doll went on to add, "he and miss Anju are engaged."

A few feet away, Ichigo spat out his drink and gaped at Atsuko. "But she's just a child! There's no way she could be engaged!"

"Miss Anju doesn't believe in having to be a certain age to love, mister Ichigo. She and Kuran are a perfect match. He is slightly older than her, but I must admit that she can often be more mature than even the most seasoned captains." Atsuko took offense at Ichigo's rash statement and was about to leave, forgoing her mission for the present when Rukia stopped her with another question.

"But, if they're so happy, why was Anju so upset just now?" Rukia knew that if she had such happiness with anyone that she would spend every day gushing to herself about the love she felt. Anju's reaction didn't make sense.

"Mister Kuran was injured during the Ritsuzen war. He remains in a special room in the fourth squad's healing ward. They say that it will take a great deal of time to heal him" Atsuko had calmed, and remembered why she was there. Scooping up the dishes, she bid a good day to the silent shinigami in the room and departed.

Rukia stood, cemented to her spot. Ukitake was right. There was so much they didn't know about Anju. Breathing out a rattled sigh, Rukia vowed to try to get to know Anju better in the days to come. She knew that the little girl could use support, especially with horrors like the one just described floating in her past. A gentle touch shook her out of her reverie.

"I think it's time we went to the lake." Ichigo tugged on her wrist and she followed him out the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Okay, I know that what I'm about to say is kind of crazy, but you're just going to have to sit back and listen. I promise, all of this is relevant." Ichigo stood with his back against a tree, facing the lake he had visited yesterday. Rukia sat on the ground next to him, looking out at the same spot his eyes had wandered to. She mumbled a "mm hmm" and he continued.

"Alright. See that rock there on the ground? Let's pretend that rock has been there for years and years. Fifteen to be exact. All it knows is sitting there day in and day out. It can feel the ground, the grass, and it can see the sky. That's all." He peered down at Rukia to make sure he hadn't lost her, and continued. "So then one day, this fisherman comes to the lake. He catches a bunch of fish, and he climbs back up the hill on his way home. When he gets up here, one of the fish flops out of the container, lands on the rock, and sends them both rolling down the hill...the rock and the fish that is. The fish lands in a side puddle off of the main lake, while the rock lands a few feet from the water's edge." Ichigo presented a hand to Rukia, and she grabbed it, allowing herself to be led down to the lake.

"So all of the sudden, the rock is in a different place. It can feel sand, and the breeze since grass isn't surrounding it, and it can see the lake. At first it's confused, but it grows to really like the view. But the rock isn't satisfied just yet. The fish needs to get back to the lake, and the rock knows it. He wants to aid the helpless fish more than anything. Thankfully, his wish is granted. One afternoon, a few children pass by the lake and see the fish in the small puddle, unable to rejoin the main lake, and they pick the rock up, and use it to scoop the sand out of the way, making a path for the fish to swim through. It does exactly that and gets back to the lake at last." Ichigo pauses, and draws a line in the sandy dirt with his foot.

"So now, the rock is really happy. He's repaid the rock for what he considers the best life altering accident of his existence." But he's made a mistake, only realizing it when Rukia interrupted him.

"He? I thought the rock was an 'it.' Poor little guy. He must be so confused." The humor in her voice was only a mask for the fear she felt at hearing such a confession from Ichigo, even though it was all through symbolism.

"Fine. You caught me. I'm the rock, you're the fish. The puddle is that giant white prison tower thing, and the lake is soul society. Those kids are my powers. Not that you hadn't figured that out already…" His cover had been blown, but he didn't care. It made what he was about to do all that easier.

"I always figured that you kind of resented me for dropping in and changing your life. If it weren't for me, you'd be living the normal life of a teenage human. You wouldn't have come so close to death dozens of times, and you could get a full night's sleep every now and then." Rukia prayed for his denial of her statements. She had always held doubts about Ichigo's feelings on the matter.

"No. If fact, I think that this life, as dangerous as it is, is far superior to any other I could have possibly lived. I owe everything to you, Rukia." He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before letting go and wrapping it around her waist, bringing her in close to his side. "If I had a choice, I'd choose to do this all over again instead living a normal life any day. Besides, how could I ever regret any turn of events that lead me to you?" His voice was very serious now, and that had an almost calming effect on Rukia. "It took me a while to realize all of this. But thanks to Anju, I get it now. All of those times I got upset with you, I was really just upset with myself. So many opportunities to tell you how I felt had passed me by, and I feared that it was too late. Hearing those stories about our future, I guess it gave me courage, and hope that all of this was just in time."

Ichigo used his leverage on Rukia's body to turn her to face him. His other hand resumed its now regular position at her cheek. She closed her eyes at his touch and relished the warmth he brought her. "How do you manage to do that?" She looked up at his confused eyes and smiled. "You take the damn words out of my mind. Honestly, Ichigo, you…" But he was far too ready for the moment to allow her to distract him from his purpose.

"Rukia…I'm kind of falling for you. You can try to distract me all you want but it won't change that simple fact. Wait, what's…why are you crying?" He hadn't planned for that. Whoops.

"You idiot. I'm not crying." She tried to wipe the tears from her face, but he was once again faster than her. She allowed him to dry her face before she continued. "What took you so long?" His face gained a new blush and she touched the heated skin with her fingers, making his eyes flash back to look into hers. She gained a new-found seriousness, and said, "I've gone and fallen for you too." She heard him let out a breath that he hadn't even known he was holding.

He pulled her closer and leaned down, placing his forehead against hers. She managed to get out a few words before he moved any further. "You better kiss me for real this time, or I swear…" Her words were cut off by his lips meeting hers. The kiss was unlike the previous one, which had only been a gentle fleeting touch. Much to the relief of both of them, the kiss was more than a simple brush of the lips. Ichigo's hand had moved around to the back of Rukia's head and pulled her closer, while Rukia wrapped her arms around Ichigo's shoulders. It was not a kiss of lust. Rather, it was simplistic and full of relief. The years of pent-up emotions poured out and they both relaxed into the moment. Their lips parted several times, but only ever for a split second. After a few blissful moments, they parted to catch their breath. Not willing to be so far away from her for any length of time, Ichigo pulled Rukia in to him, holding her head to his chest. By the time they parted the shadows had moved a great deal, proving that time had no meaning while they were together. Something new caught Rukia's eye.

"Ichigo, did we bring a basket?" He turned at her voice, releasing her with a great reluctance. Back on the top of the hill, a blanket and basked had appeared. The two looked at each other and went to see where the new decoration had come from. Upon the basket sat a small piece of paper with "A. K." and a heart written on it.


	16. Time Spent

Okay, so i'm in this incredibly panicked state. I just got back from taking my dog for a walk, and this guy (who is like 35-40) in a truck rolls up and starts talking to me. Flirting with me(i'm only 20, though most people say i look 15). Gives me his electrician card and asks me to call him. then drives away, and back around the block and back to me, and is like 'you ladies don't call, so can i have your number?' At which point i said no and ran home. Now i'm terribly freaked out. Can't a girl be safe walking in broad daylight in her own damn neighborhood?

Good thing i wrote this chapter before i went out. You guys might have to wait a little longer for the next chapter. I had intended to write it tonight, but i really don't feel good after that experience.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Huh. Nosy kid." Ichigo feigned a lack of interest in the pic-nic Anju had prepared for he and Rukia. He was entirely grateful to the little girl for the food, as it meant that they could stay out and watch the sun set again. But he wasn't about to let Rukia know that. Plopping down in front of the tree, he leaned back against the trunk and looked up at Rukia expectantly.

"What? You're hogging the tree, so it's not like I can sit down." She wasn't upset at all, though she would have liked the tree as back support too.

Ichigo smiled mischievously. He had planned this out, predicting that she would say that. "That's the whole point. I lean against the tree, you lean against me." She was welcome to sit anywhere else on the blanket that had been laid out on the ground, but judging by their new-found closeness, he hoped that she'd want to be near him. He was right.

With a nonchalant air, Rukia shrugged her shoulders and sat down between Ichigo's legs, leaning back into him for support. "You've got to admit, I'm far more comfortable than a tree…" Ichigo teased. He received a chuckle from Rukia and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Did my brother seem to be acting a little strange to you this morning? I mean, yeah he was cold as always, but I thought that he'd at least try to kick you out of my room." Rukia didn't really feel that conversation was necessary, but did want to get some things off of her mind before settling into comfortable silence with Ichigo.

"Are you kidding? I'm surprised he didn't hit me with his thousand pink petals right there in the house. Either something's wrong with him, or he's been affected by Anju's presence as well. For such a tiny kid, she sure has a big effect on people." Ichigo found himself becoming more and more accepting of Anju as time passed.

"Well she is your kid, Ichigo. It's not like she could just pass unnoticed in any world. I wouldn't doubt if she's legendary in her time." Rukia recognized that it was the job of most parents to think so highly of their children, but Anju wasn't technically hers. She hadn't raised her, and wasn't taking credit for the brilliant child, so she really was almost unbiased on the subject.

"She's yours too. You can't just blame the little munchkin all on me. I may have contributed to her power, but her beauty was all your doing." Ichigo hoped that he'd at least sort of disguised his compliment. Although he'd admitted his feelings for Rukia, he didn't want to scare her off by revealing just how much he cared for her yet.

Rukia sat in thought for a moment. She was worried about their earlier conversation with Anju. "I hope she's alright. She may put on a strong act, but I know that she's hurting. If you were hurt so badly like this Kuran guy, I don't know that I'd be able to do what she's doing. Traveling hundreds of years to the past, training all of soul society, leaving all of my friends and family behind. She's going to need us Ichigo. We're not her parents, but we need to try to support her as much as we can." Rukia's heart went out to the little girl. It must have taken so much to come here, leaving all she knew behind. She renewed her earlier vow to get to know Anju better.

"You're right. I don't know how she's doing it, honestly. I'd be a wreck." His grip around Rukia's middle tightened as he thought about almost losing her to Aizen's horrible plan.

"Ichigo?" Rukia turned her head to look up at his concerned face. "Thank you for saving me. I don't think I ever thanked you for that. I mean, I guess it was implied, but I just wanted to make sure you knew…that I'm very grateful for what you did." Ichigo's eyes widened, but reverted back to a soft contour within seconds.

"It's not like I could just let you die. What kind of guy would I be then?" He paused, and sent thanks out to whatever god it was that looked out for him. "And you're welcome." She was still looking up at him, emotion melting off of her face and swimming behind her eyes. His fingers were occupied, still being entangled with Rukia's, so he used his nose to move aside the bangs that fell in her face, and left a trail of light kisses across her forehead.

The gesture made her practically radiate happiness. How had this Ichigo always been hiding? How had she never seen this side of him before? She ignored the thoughts and mumbled, "I like when you do that…" For a moment, she thought that he had not heard, but was surprised when he continued.

"Oh?" His lips made their way down her temple, cheek and jaw line, and she couldn't help but giggle like a girl. "And I like being able to make you squirm like that." He let out a gruff laugh pulled her even closer to him. She was now practically lying on one side, her cheek pressed into Ichigo's chest. Completeness had never registered as an emotion in her system before, but she could now feel something along those lines creeping up on her.

grruunngg

"Ichigo, was that your stomach? We just ate two hours ago…" The humor was not lost on Ichigo, who went back to laughing at her comment.

"Hey, telling you how I felt took a lot of energy. Besides, I can smell the food in that basket, and it's getting to me." He had been entirely satisfied to simply sit with Rukia in their current position for as long as she felt like putting up with him. He'd even intended to hide his hunger just to keep her next to him. However, his stomach had betrayed him, and Rukia was already sitting up.

"Well, I could use a snack. Let's see what we have." Rukia crawled over to the basket and lifted the lid to see an assortment of food, from fruit to noodles. "Oooh strawberries. She knows me well. It would be very sweet if it wasn't kind of creepy." She pulled the container out and handed the basket to Ichigo, who rifled through it in turn. He pulled out a cup of soup that was somehow still warm, and made short work of it. He put the empty cup back into the basket and stretched his arms above his head. He took a strawberry from the container that Rukia held in her hands and threw it into his mouth. Satisfied, he leaned back against the tree and patted his stomach.

A smile overcame Rukia's face and she leaned foreword, one hand reaching toward Ichigo's chin. He opened his eyes as a tiny finger traced a line across his lower lip. "Messy eater," she commented as she started to sit back. She was stopped by a hand grabbing her finger. Ichigo took Rukia's hand and directed the finger she had used to wipe off the wayward juice into his mouth, preferring this method to using a napkin.

Rukia froze. She hadn't expected such a sudden intimate reaction. Ichigo seemed to realize what he'd done, and his face turned redder than he'd known possible.

"Whoops. Here I try and get a tiny drop of red juice off of your chin, and the entire rest of your face goes red. Kind of backwards, don't you think?" She laughed off her embarrassment, hoping that he hadn't regretted the action.

"At least my face isn't the only one that's red." Ichigo smirked, enjoying that he could get such a reaction from her. It still surprised him that he had the ability to make her blush. "You done with those?" he gestured to the strawberries and she nodded a yes. With little more than a twist of his body, he managed to pull Rukia back into his chest. She settled into his warmth without a question, finally getting used to being close to him on a regular basis.

They sat in comfortable silence for many minutes. Ichigo was the first to speak. "How long do we have?" He was, of course, referring to how long they had left in soul society. Even though they needed to train with Anju, they still had duties in the real world, and would need to spend most of their time there.

"We'll need to head back the day after tomorrow." Her voice contained hints of sadness. Although she really did love living in the real world, she didn't want to simply leave Anju in soul society. Ichigo seemed to be reading her mind again when he spoke.

"What about Anju? I mean, she's a captain, so she'll need to stay here, right?" Rukia was surprised at how much Ichigo's voice reflected the sadness in her own heart.

"Yeah. But I'm sure we'll be coming here often. Just because we're experienced with all kinds of hollows, doesn't mean we can just skip out on training. And…maybe she can come visit us, too?" Rukia's hopeful voice acted heavily on Ichigo's heart. How could he refuse such a request?

"Of course. Whenever she can. Though I wonder how dad will react." Ichigo liked the idea of having Anju visit, but he feared telling his father of her parentage. He could imagine the old man going on and on about how he just knew that Rukia was more to him than a friend as he clung to the picture of Ichigo's mother.

"I'm sure he'll act just as we expect him to. He'll laugh and cry and hug everyone. You'll throw him against a wall for being so annoying, and he'll talk to that picture of your mother, saying 'oh, my dear wife, our son has finally become a man!'" Rukia laughed at the thought. Although Isshin's behavior often annoyed her, she had a respect for Ichigo's father that she couldn't explain.

"Karin and Yuzu will be happy though. Anju's about their age…kind of. You know what I mean." Anju was older than Ichigo's father already, but was technically only the age his little sisters. "Yuzu will have someone to cook with, and I'm sure Karin will enjoy having another girl her age around." How everything had managed to work out so well, Ichigo had no idea.

"Do you have anything important to do this evening?" Rukia figured that she already knew the answer, but Ichigo could have planned something with the friends he'd made in soul society.

"Nah. What about you?" Ichigo hoped that she was free. He intended to spend the rest of the evening with her if she was willing.

"Of course I do." Ichigo's heart fell. "I'm spending time with you, aren't I? I mean, I guess I could hang out with Anju, but to be honest, I have to intention of leaving this spot any time soon. You're stuck with me." Her matter-of-fact attitude brought a smile to Ichigo's face, and he tightened his grip on her.

"I never thought I'd be appreciative of glue. It seems I've been missing out." He bent his head and took a deep breath. The aroma of her hair was something that he already missed when it wasn't around, much like Rukia herself. Having spent the past day in close proximity to her, Ichigo had developed an addiction-like feeling toward the raven-haired shinigami.

"We both have. We're idiots." Although she didn't want to admit it, Rukia felt like a complete moron for having let her feelings go unheard for so long.

"Yeah, we really are. But let's make a pact. Let's spend our time making up for all of the time we've spent being idiots. Let's just be ourselves, together. How does that sound?" Ichigo could hardly recognize his own words. He'd never spoken to anyone like this before. Luckily for him, Rukia liked his new attitude, and appreciated it.

"Deal." Rukia couldn't be happier. Not only was Ichigo opening up, and letting her in, he was allowing her to do the same. They spent the next few hours simply enjoying each others' company, talking only when one of them had something important to share. Favorites, and least favorites, likes and dislikes were revealed, and before they knew it, the time came to venture home.


	17. Author Note

Hey everyone!

I'm taking a break for the next two-three days on this story

Some local newspaper reporters are interviewing me and taking pictures etc, for an article they're doing soon over the release of 'Breaking Dawn' the 4th and final book in the Twilight Series

I've got to finish making my rendition of Bella's prom dress, and get all prepared, so I don't have time to get the next chapter done!

However, I can give you tid-bits of info about upcoming chapters!

Why are Ichigo's fingers covered in sticky tack?

Anju on the roof of the high school?

Why is Rukia pinning Ichigo down?

How did Keigo's jaw get broken?

Kon meets Anju! A true friend at last?

Penguins! Lots and lots of Penguins!

And that's as far as I can go.

The next chapter will be up ASAP

In the mean time, go read Twilight!

Ah yes, and for those of you saying 'Anju is too powerful!' i've already addressed that problem in previous notes. She may have power, but does she know how to use it? No, not really. She's able to concentrate it all the time, like Ichigo can in Bankai, but she's till a child, and is learning to control things as she goes along.

I do thoroughly appreciate y'alls input though!

And yes, i said y'all  
I'm a texan after all. We do say that. Though it's never as country as it's portrayed in the movies P


	18. Back to Unnormal

Hey everyone, i'm back! The interview went great, and now i'm even more super-excited for the release of Breaking Dawn! Here's the next chapter. I've already started working on the next one, so it may be up later tonight. I'll be gone all day to Houston tomorrow for back-to-school shopping (ick) but i should still have another chapter past the two i'm planning on posting tonight up tomorrow evening.

Enjoy your weekends!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Two long days had gone by since Rukia and Ichigo had confessed their feelings to one another. Much to everyone's dismay, it was time for the duo to leave soul society behind for a while, and return to the real world. Anju had seen them off late in the evening, trying and failing to hold her tears back. She had already grown close to her parents of the past, and would miss them.

The pair had come home to the usual scene at the Kurosaki house. Isshin had flown across the living room at Ichigo the moment he walked in the door. His face met with the usual fist/wall combo. Yuzu yelled from the kitchen for them to stop fighting, while Karin simply ignored the proceedings. Ichigo managed to escape up to his room before anyone else could disturb him. He was unusually tired, and longed for his bed. He hadn't been lying down for a whole minute when Yuzu came barging in.

"Brother, I need you to go to the store for me! Father didn't get everything I asked him to when he went earlier." Yuzu stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, an apron hanging down her front.

Ichigo had no desire to leave his bed any time soon, but was beginning to feel far too hungry to go without dinner. "Alright, Yuzu. What do you need?" Ichigo rolled over and groaned. Rukia had disappeared to Urahara's for a while to retrieve an order, so he was on his own.

"Yay! Thank you, Ichi. Here's a list. Don't take too long!" And with that, Yuzu danced out of the room. Ichigo reluctantly left the comfort of his bed and slugged his way down the stairs and out the door. The nearest store was only five blocks away, and it took him only minutes to traverse the short distance. He gathered the few items that were on Yuzu's list and made his way to the counter. On the end of the aisle he'd just passed, something caught his eye.

_Perfect. Rukia will love this_, he thought, grabbing a few packages and making his way to the counter. He walked home in record time, excited about his purchase. He handed the bag of groceries to Yuzu and ran up the stairs without a word. Noting that Rukia was still not back, he began to set up her surprise.

OOOOOOOO

"Thanks, Urahara. See you around." Rukia waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and started to make her way back to the Kurosaki house. She fiddled with the new device that Urahara had given her, testing to see if it was working. She sent a message to Anju via the new cell phone, and received a reply in record time. _At least she won't be so lonely now,_ she thought, glad that technology could bring such comfort to the little girl. Rukia continued her walk in peace, taking in the bright stars that she loved so much.

Upon arriving home, she used the front door and received a gleeful welcome from her temporary family. Rukia enjoyed the fact that she no longer had to hide that she was living with Ichigo. She never minded taking the window, but things were so much easier this way. She offered her service to Yuzu in the kitchen, but received a 'no thanks' from the busy cook. Remembering the manga she was reading days before, she decided to go find the volume in Ichigo's room.

"Ichigo, where is that…." She never got the rest of the sentence out. Upon stepping in to the room, Rukia found Ichigo standing on his bed, his hands raised up to the ceiling. "Did someone try to come in through the lighting hole again?" She let her amusement flow through her voice, and grinned as his face turned red.

"Like I'd let those fools in here again." He jumped down off the bed and made his way to the door, closing it and moving Rukia toward the center of the room. He reached behind him and turned off the light. Her gasp let him know that he'd done the right thing.

"Ichigo…what…how…" Rukia had not expected this. Upon the walls of Ichigo's room were countless glowing shapes staring back at her.

"You said you wanted some. I can take them down if…" he knew that she didn't want that, but decided to play with her anyway.

"No! I like them. I just wasn't expecting this." Every day, Ichigo surprised her. She should have known that he'd pull something like this, but she still wasn't used to the new and improved Ichigo.

"Yuzu sent me to the store, and they had them, so I decided that I might as well get you some." He was so happy to hear the gratefulness in Rukia's voice, and silently thanked the convenience store for having such an unusual item.

"Get _me_ some? This is your room, silly." She imagined the scene that would unfold if Ichigo had put the stars in the twins' room. Her ponderings were cut short by the look on Ichigo's face. It fell somewhere between disappointment and fear. "What?"

Ichigo shifted his weight and turned the light back on. "Well…" He couldn't decide exactly how to say what he was thinking. Should he say what he wanted and risk getting hurt or pretend to be innocent? The curious look on her face made his decision for him. "I was hoping that maybe…since we've been staying together the past few nights…that you might want to stay in here…with me." He tried his hardest to hide the embarrassment, but failed miserably. He fell backward onto his bed and crossed his arms. If he couldn't feel like a strong, invincible man, he could at least try to look like one.

Rukia sat down next to him and tried to speak. Finding that she had absolutely no idea what to say, she decided on simply setting her hand on Ichigo's chest. Ichigo couldn't stand the silence, but refused to be the one to break it. He rolled over to face the wall.

The pair sat like this for many moments. Eventually, Rukia got fed up, and crawled over Ichigo to get in front of him. She became even more annoyed when he tried to roll away from her. Emboldened by her frustration, she grabbed Ichigo's wrists and pinned them to the bed on either side of his head. "You're really going to have to quit moping. It doesn't suit you at all." She relinquished her hold once he stopped struggling, and settled her elbows on either side of his chest. "What made you think I'd want to stay anywhere else?" She could feel his sharp intake of breath as his chest expanded beneath her.

"I didn't know what you'd want. You hadn't said anything about staying with me so I assumed that things would go back to the way they were…" He avoided her gaze, fearing that it might weaken his resolve even more.

"It's not like I can just jump in your bed and go to sleep. It's _your_ bed Ichigo. I was waiting to be invited." It was the truth. She'd hoped that Ichigo would get up the courage to ask her to stay the night with him, but didn't really expect him to do it so easily.

"Consider yourself invited." His hands moved to her back and they both relaxed, adjusting their position so that Rukia was using Ichigo's chest as a pillow. He could feel her smile through his shirt. The moment ended all too soon. Yuzu yelled from downstairs that dinner was ready. When they did not respond immediately, Isshin said his piece, threatening to make Ichigo sit on the floor while eating for a week if he didn't hurry up.

The rest of the evening passed by as normally as possible. The family finished dinner, and went off to their separate rooms for bed after watching a short movie together.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Geeze, it's lunch time at last. Who knew time could stretch out so long?" Ichigo stretched in his desk as he watched his classmates gather their lunches. He followed suit, grabbing a paper sack and trudging up toward the roof. Rukia followed, staying closer to him than she normally did. The couple hadn't said anything about their new status to their friends, though they knew that everyone would figure it out eventually.

Lunch progressed as normal. Ichigo still had to help Rukia with her juice box, although she could manage to get the straw out, unwrapped, and prepared. She took a sip of the juice and immediately spat it back out.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo looked up as he felt a few drops of juice hit his arm. Her gaze was adverted to the door, and everyone in the group turned to look at whatever had caused the disturbance.

"Wow. For an elementary schooler, she sure is cute. Damn, if only she were a bit older…" Keigo used his fingers to twiddle an imaginary beard. Ichigo had joined in the gazing fest, and felt a sudden burst of rage. He sent one solid fist out toward Keigo's face and sent him flying toward the other side of the roof. The lunch group looked up in awe. They were used to Ichigo defending himself and Rukia, but never a random wandering elementary student.

"Good afternoon everyone!" Anju walked up to the group of friends and bowed. She was using the all-too-familiar fake girly façade that Rukia used around Ichigo's friends. "Rukia, you forgot your phone at home." Anju threw a tiny electronic device to Rukia, who caught it with shock. She was wearing a tiny kimono that was covered in cherry blossoms, and had her hair up in a simple but elegant twist. The only thing that even hinted at awkwardness was the way that Anju held her arm.

"Thanks, kid. Now go home before someone notices your missing." Ichigo piped in, the first to recover from his shock.

A tiny vein popped up in Anju's temple, and she crossed her arms, flinching. One was still held awkwardly, and Rukia suspected that she knew why. "Anju, could I talk to you for a second?" Rukia used the same fake sweetness that Anju was using, but everyone could tell something was wrong. She got up and draped an arm over Anju's shoulders, dragging her away from the group. "What are you doing here?" she asked frantically once she got out of hearing range.

"Sorry." Anju looked at the ground, saddened by the tone in Rukia's voice. "There was a hollow over near the park. You didn't respond to your phone alert, so they needed someone to come see what was wrong. I volunteered, since this is practically my home anyway. Besides, I was worried." She looked up at Rukia, whose face had softened. "Anyway, the hollow has been taken care of. I guess I'll go now…"

"No, sweetie, it's okay. Please stay. We need to do something about your arm." Rukia reached out and took the limb in her hands, immediately regretting the action when Anju let out a tiny squeak in pain. Turning around, she said, "Orihime, Anju needs to go to the bathroom. Can you show her the way?" Rukia gestured for the older girl to come toward the stairs, "And heal her arm please?" she added in an almost silent whisper when Orihime came close enough. Ichigo was explaining that Anju was Rukia's little cousin who was visiting, and that she was home-schooled. The puzzled group seemed to believe it, much to both Ichigo and Rukia's relief.

Rukia opened the door to the stairs and practically shoved the two friends down it. She then gathered her thoughts and returned to eat her lunch.

OOOOOOOOO

"You don't need to do this, Orihime. Rukia just worries about me too much. I'm fine. My arm is just a little out of place." Anju tried her best to convince Orihime that there was no need to heal her, but Orihime knew better. The two reached the bathroom and began the process of fixing Anju's arm.

"I'm sorry if this seems a little foreword, but…who are you?" Orihime had been rushed off to heal the little girl and hadn't heard Ichigo's explanation.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Anju Kuchiki, Rukia's little cousin. It's nice to finally meet you. Rukia's always talking about her school friends, but I've never gotten to meet any of them until now." Anju had decided on a story long before coming to the real world, and had made sure to iron out any mistakes. Her plan was flawless.

"Rukia's never said anything about a cousin…how long have you been in Karakura?" Relief was present in Orihime's voice. She didn't know what she was worried about, really. Something struck her as odd about this child. Perhaps it was her orange hair. The color mirrored Ichigo's so well, that Orihime had almost thought that the child was related to him. But with the name Kuchiki, she couldn't have been Ichigo's relative. How on earth did she end up with orange hair? Wait…Byakuya had siblings? She'd have to ask about that…

"I didn't figure she talked about me much. We're not that close. I came to town yesterday. My parents are really buys these days, so I get lonely. Rukia invited me to come here for a while, so I'd have something to do. She's so nice like that…" Anju didn't like this. This Orihime person was far too curious for anyone's own good.

"So who are your parents, exactly? I mean, Byakuya lost his wife a good while back, and I didn't think he had any siblings…" something wasn't right about this kid's story and Orihime was determined to figure it out.

"You know my uncle? But…" Anju's eyes doubled in size, and her chin fell toward the floor. "You're _the_ Orihime? How cool! I…" Anju had heard stories about Orihime from her parents, but the highly-respected woman had died long before Anju had been born. She had so many questions to ask, but they would have to wait.

"There you are! Anju, is your arm feeling better?" Rukia had rushed into the bathroom, finally finding her targets. She got a nod from the little girl and sighed with relief. If something serious happened to Anju because of her forgetfulness, she'd feel horrible. "Thank you Orihime. I really appreciate this. We need to get back to class. Anju, I get out in three hours. Do you know your way back home?"

"Of course. Thank you for helping me, Orihime. It was nice to meet you at last." Anju gave Rukia a hug and admired her now fully-functional arm. "I'll see you at home. Don't work too hard!" She waved cheerfully as she backed out the door.

"Thanks again, Orihime. Knowing Anju, she wouldn't have said a word about her arm." Rukia hoped that she wouldn't have to go into a detailed explanation about Anju right now.

"No problem. But…that little girl. Is she really your cousin?" Orihime was becoming less and less sure of the story as time went along.

"No. She's not. But don't worry about it right now. I think we're planning a meeting at Urahara's soon to explain everything. Let's get back to class." Rukia wasn't particularly anticipating having to tell her friends about Anju. She was very well aware of their attitudes toward her relationship with Ichigo. They all assumed that she and Ichigo would become a couple eventually. How they had known about her feelings before she did…she'd never know. For now, she was just grateful that class prevented Orihime from asking any more questions.


	19. Secret's out

Here's the second part of the day as promised! Hopefully i'll have the next chapter written by tomorrow evening. I've got four hours worth of driving time to think, so i'll probably have it up late tomorrow night.

Until then, enjoy!

OOOOOOOO

The second half of the school day had passed just as slowly as the first. Ichigo and Rukia had escaped only seconds after the bell rang, ensuring that no one could inquire about Anju any further. Before they knew it, they were out of the school grounds and on their way home.

"So why was our own personal magical girl in the real world?" Ichigo was far less irritated than he sounded. Honestly, he had begun to miss the little girl's presence. She brought so much dynamic activity to their lives, and her cooking perfectly complimented his tastes.

"Apparently, in our haste to get out the door today, I forgot the phone. A hollow appeared, and we weren't responding, so she came to figure out why." Rukia was giving Ichigo a half-heartedly 'you should feel guilty' stare which didn't go unnoticed by the offending party.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault you slept in." In all fairness, he had been the reason. He'd fallen asleep last night shortly after dinner. Rukia had curled up in his bed and started to read an old manga, and he'd opted to be her pillow. She was so darn comfortable; he'd just fallen asleep, forgetting to set his alarm.

"Ha. _You_ are the one who fell asleep without setting the alarm." She retorted. Their daily bickering had taken on a humorous air, and she thoroughly enjoyed the change.

"You could have set it. It's not my fault you're so damn comfortable. Guy can't help but fall asleep when you get all…snuggly like that." Ichigo stopped. Had he just said the word 'snuggly?' No, he must have imagined that thought. Judging by Rukia's face, he hadn't. She managed to hold back her laughter, and grabbed his hand, urging him to continue walking.

"I'm not the one who's snuggly. If I remember correctly, you curled up behind me. Although, I can't really complain. I managed to stay awake a whole five minutes like that. It was nice…" She turned her face away from him, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. Their recent rash of honesty was something that they had both grown to appreciate. Still, neither was used to saying such things yet.

"Yeah, it was." Ichigo squeezed her hand and pulled her a bit closer. He was so distracted, that he didn't even notice the small group of people following close behind.

OOO

Orihime, Ishida, and Chad had managed to catch up to the pair. Their curiosity was far too great to simply accept Rukia's promise of a future explanation.

"Oh, wow, did you see that? They're holding hands! Something is definitely going on." Orihime covered her mouth with one hand as she spoke. She had been aware of the couple's feelings for one another for a long time, but hadn't expected them to actually give in and confess any time soon.

"You're right. They've changed drastically ever since they came back from soul society. They were only gone three days. How could something so big happen so fast?" Ishida, as usual, tried to use logic to understand the situation. "I'm coming up empty, guys."

"I'm going." Chad, in his normal quiet demeanor, decided that he didn't want to spy on his friends. The other two waved him goodbye, and went back to following their targets. That is, they tried. After taking a few steps, a shadowy figure appeared in front of them, preventing their progress.

OOO

"Good afternoon!" Anju's voice came from above. The girl had been waiting for Rukia and Ichigo only a few blocks from the school, hoping to walk home with them. She knew the way perfectly well, but simply didn't want to go to the clinic alone. After all, the family hadn't met her yet, and didn't even know of her existence.

"Anju! What are you still doing here?" Rukia knew that captain duties required a lot of time and energy, and wasn't sure how Anju managed to get time off so early in her captaincy.

"I finished all of my training rounds with the squads, so Ukitake gave me the afternoon off. I figured I'd stay since I was already here. What are you guys up to?" Her voice reflected the sincere interest in her heart, and the pair couldn't help but accept her into their day.

"We've got a report to do for history, but other than that, there's not much going on. Here," Ichigo squatted down to allow the little girl up on his shoulders. Anju hopped onto Ichigo's back and gazed out at the street before her, all-too happy to hitch a ride.

"I'm sorry for showing up like that, but I was worried about you two. You never don't answer your pages…" the sincerity of Anju's words touched the hearts of her audience, although they were sure not to show it.

"There's no need to apologize. It's my fault after all. I forgot to set the alarm, so we woke up late. Rukia forgot the phone in the rush." Ichigo hated admitting fault, but he couldn't allow the little girl to feel bad over justifiably worrying about them.

"He's right, Anju. We really do appreciate your concern, though. It's nice to know we have someone looking out for us." Rukia couldn't believe that Ichigo had just admitted that he had done wrong. Had he really changed that much in five days?

"Well I can hardly allow you two to wander around unchecked. My future's on the line, after all. Ceasing to exist isn't something I'd like to do." The trio had made their way back to the Kurosaki clinic at last, and paused before entering.

"Any ideas on how we introduce Anju?" Ichigo was at a loss. Should they tell the truth? Should they lie? Surely the truth would come out one way or another.

"They're going to find out eventually. Might as well get it over with now." Rukia knew that hiding things would only lead to trouble, though she was less than excited to reveal Anju's identity so soon.

"Let's get this over with, then. Prepare yourself, kiddo." Ichigo gathered all of his wits and opened his front door. He stepped inside, expecting to be trampled on by his family immediately. What he got was the total opposite. "Huh, where is everyone? HELLO?" He yelled across the empty house, and received no reply.

"Look at this, Ichigo." With Anju still on his shoulders, Ichigo grabbed the note from Rukia's hands and opened it.

_Ichigo and my lovely third daughter,_

_We've been summoned to Urahara's for some kind of meeting! Meet us there when you get this. And don't dawdle! _

_Old Beardo_

"Oh great, now what's going on?" Ichigo tossed the note to Rukia, who had a similar reaction before throwing the offending paper away.

"There's no telling if Urahara is involved. We better get going." Rukia put her shoes back on and followed Ichigo out the door.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Alright, what's going on around here?" Ichigo slid the door open rather violently. His temper was starting to get to him. Not only did he have things to do, he had to walk all this way for some stupid meeting. _This better be good,_ he thought.

"Ah, Kurosaki, Kuchiki you came! And you saved us the hassle of locating the guest of honor! Truly remarkable." Urahara welcomed his guests with a wave of his fan.

"Just tell us why we're here." Ichigo set Anju down and stood in front of her, unsure of how Urahara knew about her. He had a feeling that more had been exposed behind their backs than they knew about. Damn gossipers.

"Calm down, son. We're here to celebrate!" Isshin piped in, swinging a cup of Urahara's best sake around.

"Your father speaks the truth. We're here today to welcome the newest member of the family!" Urahara snapped his fan shut and used it to point to Anju, who was still hiding behind Ichigo.

"My wonderful son! Finally, he becomes a man! Oh, if only your mother were here to see it!" Isshin didn't get another word out. Ichigo had crossed the room in less than a second, knocking the old man to the floor with a swift kick in the face. Urahara backed up, thinking that he was next. He had no desire to tangle with Ichigo right now.

"Jeeze, calm down Ichi. Dad's almost right for once." Karin peeked around Rukia, who had taken up the job of shielding Anju from the crazy party assembled before them.

"Um, excuse me, but no one's explained what's going on to us." Orihime waved one hand around to try to get attention. Tessai had been sent to retrieve them from their stalking, but had failed to offer any explanation.

"Ah, yes. Very well, please, everyone take a seat. Anju, dear, it's alright to come out! No need to hide. Come, come!" Urahara was in his usual chirpy mood. He ushered Anju out from behind her protector and into the spot light, where Ichigo once again regained his hold on her.

"She's not a prize-winning pig. Quit trying to show her off like that!" Ichigo was feeling awfully protective of the little girl. He knew that if she was anything like him, she'd hate this kind of attention. He was right. The poor girl was as red as a tomato, and looked like she was trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Well, alright then. Everyone, I'd like you to welcome Anju Kuchiki to the family! Future daughter of Ichigo and Rukia, she's here from a whole three hundred years from now! "As soon as Urahara said this, an eerie silence fell throughout the room. Orihime, Ishida, and Chad (who'd also been caught by Tessai) sat in shock, the truth of the situation finally dawning on them. Urahara waved his fan in front of his face for dramatic effect. Karin rolled her eyes while Yuzu held onto her father's shirt sleeve in anticipation.

To break the silence, Anju started off with a small, "Well…hi." A sheepish grin crawled over her face and she tried to retreat into Ichigo's side. He accommodated her as well as he could. Rukia stepped up and set her hands on Anju's little shoulders, silently giving her assurance that everything would be okay.

Anju seemed to take the sudden protectiveness as strength, and stepped foreword slightly. "It's nice to meet all of you. I appreciate such a warm welcome. It wasn't necessary…" her voice faltered. Rukia was well aware that Anju had used up more courage than she had, and moved to remedy the situation.

"Alright, well, we have some things we need to take care of. Thank you all for coming. Let's go, Anju, Ichigo." Rukia bowed to the gathered friends and family and retreated. Ichigo followed, bodily removing Anju from the room since she was still practically frozen to the floor in fear.

It took many blocks, but Anju recovered her voice. "Thank you for taking me out of there. That whole thing just really freaked me out." She could take care of an entire squad of shinigami, but something about that situation bothered her. She didn't like being surprised like that.

"No problem, kiddo. At least we got it over with. Now maybe they'll leave us alone." Ichigo knew that was unlikely, but hoped that they would at least get a little peace.

"At any rate, I should probably be getting back. Can I leave my gigai in your closet, Ichigo?" The shy girl had done a complete turn around since she'd left the shop. Her normal carefree attitude had returned.

"Sure. Are you really going to be able to return often?" Ichigo feigned disinterest, but he truly did want to spend more time with Anju.

"As often as you'll let me. Heck, I'd take my paperwork here every day if I could." Anju threw a soul-removing glove to Rukia, who paused only briefly before donning the item, and removing Anju's spirit from the fake body. "Thanks again for taking care of me. I'll see you guys later!"

As Anju disappeared through the gate, Ichigo once again flopped down on his bed, followed shortly by Rukia.

"What a day. I can't believe those guys, pulling a stunt like that." There was no anger left in Ichigo's speech. Annoyance had been replaced with relief for the most part, leaving him tired, but relaxed.

"Poor Anju. I thought she was going to implode there for a minute." With almost habit-like precision, Rukia rolled over and snuggled into Ichigo's side. He responded by wrapping an arm around her.

"We'll get them back for it, just you wait. But for now, I think I could use a nap. Hopefully those fools will stay away for a while. We can work on that report after dinner." Honestly, Ichigo wanted nothing more than to relax with Rukia for a while.

"Sounds like a plan." Rukia used her feet to maneuver the covers up and over her and Ichigo's legs. It took only minutes for the two to fall asleep.


	20. Prophecy

Okay, i'm back from a marathon-shopping day, and i had plenty of time to figure out where to go with the next few chapters! Here's the first half of a progressive two-parter!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"What did you think was going to happen?" Ichigo sat atop his bed, Rukia on his lap. The only light came from the glowy objects on the walls. They cast a dim glow on the electric scene, giving an air of secrecy.

"I simply invited you to take a seat. You're the one who decided where to sit." Ichigo allowed a seductive tone to grace his voice, and noticed a devilish glare from Rukia in response.

"You're the one who won't stop talking." The entire moment seemed unreal. Time had no meaning, and neither knew why. That didn't stop them from acting, though. Before Ichigo could think of a retort, Rukia had leaned in and was already leaving a trail of warm kisses along his collar bone. The only reply he could muster was series of almost inaudible moans.

Ichigo couldn't allow Rukia to have all the fun. He didn't want her to stop, so he settled on moving his hands up her thighs. Goosebumps appeared everywhere he touched, leading him to traverse more and more of her skin. Hunger overtook his senses, and his hands forgot any notion of restrain. Tentatively, his fingers moved around toward her back-side. He felt her pause in her efforts only briefly before continuing her movement up toward jaw.

"Ichi! Time for dinner!" Yuzu's voice didn't belong in this moment. Something was off.

"Wake up, Ichigo." Rukia was no longer working her magic on his body. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him.

"What? Wait, what's going on?" Ichigo was lost. How did Rukia get over there? What about dinner?

At this very moment, Ichigo felt something hard against his face. He opened his eyes to see the floor, and nothing else. Somehow, he'd managed to fall out of bed in his sleep.

"Since when do you talk in your sleep?" Rukia lay on the edge of his bed above him, staring down with an amused expression. Had she shoved him out of bed, or had he fallen on his own?

"What happened? I thought…" Realization dawned on him. He'd dreamt the whole thing. He allowed a few curse words to fall from his mouth as he began to sit up. In an instant, he froze. He'd taken the blanket with him when he'd fallen, thank goodness. If Rukia had gotten even a single glance at his groin, the game would be up. There's no way he'd be able to hide the effects of his raging hormones.

"You were talking about some 'stupid skirt,' and something soft. What were you dreaming about anyway?" Rukia got up as she asked, stretching and moving to turn the light on. She'd heard many other words, but didn't feel like disclosing such information just yet.

"I don't remember." Ichigo was beyond embarrassed. He'd managed to keep his hormones in check up until this point, but his willpower was fading. After all, he was still a teenage boy. Lucky for him, Rukia was more than ready to eat, and was already walking out the door.

"Whatever. Come on, dinner's ready." She left without even looking over her shoulder. Ichigo took a few minutes to calm himself down before joining her at the dinner table. He was so busy trying to hide his own discontent that he hadn't even noticed how flustered Rukia was.

OOO

Rukia walked into Ichigo's warm room, taking her time since he was in the shower. She made her way to the desk and pulled her history folder out of a nearby bag. Sighing, she opened a book and began to highlight important facts. After finishing with this, she looked up to see what time it was. Instead of a clock, her eyes fell on a small green box. Curious, she picked the tiny object up and examined it. After giving it a once-over, Rukia opened the lid and peeked inside.

Much to her surprise, there was a brand new digital camera inside. Rukia knew that Ichigo didn't have the money for such a device, and couldn't think of a single reason why he'd need a camera. As she pulled the little electronic out, she noticed a tiny slip of paper in the bottom of the box.

_A new start requires a new camera. Be sure to take lots of pictures. You'll want them in a couple hundred years!_

_Love, Anju_

Many thoughts occurred to Rukia in this moment. First, how did Anju know that she and Ichigo had gone through a shift in status? Second, how did the little girl get a brand new camera from the real world? Third, and most importantly, would Ichigo allow his picture to be taken? Rukia decided that she'd have to surprise him in order to get a picture. Normally, Ichigo hated taking pictures. She'd just have to take one without him knowing.

Lucky for her, Ichigo was finished in the shower. Rukia heard the water shut off and the door down the hall open. Silently thanking Anju for both her timing, and her thoughtfulness, (she'd already put batteries in the camera) Rukia sat on Ichigo's bed and aimed the camera at the door. She snapped a picture just as Ichigo walked in, catching him completely by surprise. Somehow, his appearance had taken her by surprise as well. He was wearing nothing but boxers, a towel around his shoulders to catch the water from his hair.

"What the hell? Did you just take a picture of me?" Ichigo stopped a few steps inside his room, allowing just enough space to shut his door behind him. Noticing her face, he removed the towel from his neck and wrapped it around his waist.

"Anju left us a camera. She demands pictures, and I figured, why not start tonight?" Her voice was surprisingly steady considering the shakiness she felt inside. She hadn't expected Ichigo to be in so little clothing.

"Well, if you wanted a picture, you could have just asked. I don't mind taking them…as long as you're in them too." Ichigo sat down on the bed and examined the camera. He flipped it around in his hands, holding it up near his face. While pretending to look at something on the back, he pushed the shutter button and got a surprise picture of Rukia.

"What do you think you're doing? That's not fair!" Rukia put her hands up in front of her, trying to block the camera's view, but it was too late. Ichigo gave a quick laugh before darting off the bed and away from Rukia, knowing that he would be within firing range if he didn't. Sure enough, Rukia grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him. The soft object fell short, causing Rukia to cross her arms in defeat. "Why are you in your boxers, anyway?"

The question didn't take Ichigo by surprise. He'd been waiting for her to ask since he walked in. "I forgot that you were in here. Ever since you started staying with my sisters, I've kind of gotten used to walking around like this. Sorry." He wasn't actually sorry, but thought that apologizing might do at least something to remedy the situation.

"Hmm. Whatever. I highlighted all of the information we'll need for that report. I'm going to take a shower now. Make yourself useful, and work on the paper." Rukia gave him one last questioning look before grabbing her pj's and walking out of the room.

Once she was gone, Ichigo picked up where his friend had left off. He absolutely hated writing reports, especially on stupid subjects like history. The fact that Rukia was his partner made up for his discontent. For her, he'd try his hardest. After half an hour of writing, and re-writing the first two paragraphs, he gave up and went to lie on his bed. His back complained as it leaned against something hard, and Ichigo removed the foreign offender. It was the camera that Anju had sent.

Ichigo considered deleting the picture that Rukia had taken of him, but decided against it. A new life would undoubtedly mean new experiences. If things were ever going to progress, he'd just have to get over his ideas of how things were 'supposed to be.' Setting the camera on his desk, he grabbed his ipod and stuck the headphones into his ears. He relaxed into his bed and closed his eyes. The music was turned up loud enough that he didn't even notice when Rukia came back in.

Noticing his inattentiveness, Rukia grabbed the camera and took a picture of the very relaxed, unknowing Ichigo. He didn't stir, and she realized that he might already be asleep. The sight of the half-done report brought a smile to her face, and she set the camera down on top of the spiral before turning off the light and crawling into Ichigo's bed. Much to her surprise, he wasn't asleep at all, and responded to her presence immediately. She enjoyed his embrace for a few moments before a question came to her mind.

"So what exactly were you dreaming about earlier?" She felt his arms stiffen around her, and his breathing changed, and she knew that whatever it was, it was important.

"Nothing, really. Just a regular day, with a regular you, and a regular me." His answer left much to be desired, and Rukia wasn't about to give up.

"Oh? Well, that's sad. I was dreaming too, although mine was much more interesting." Surely, he wouldn't be able to resist this kind of temptation.

"Hmm, thinking dirty things again, are we? Tisk tisk. You're supposed to be a noble. Nobility don't think like that." This reply earned him a slap on the back of the head, and an immediate rebuttal.

"Oh yeah? You're the one who was moaning, and making odd noises." His face contorted, and she knew that she had hit a nerve. "And by the look on your face, I'm right. Ha! Teenage boys…" She might as well bug him about it now. There's no way things would progress if they kept dancing around the subject of their relationship.

"Yeah right. Just because I'm a teenage guy, doesn't mean I'm hormonal all the time. You're the one who brought the subject up." He'd caught her there. Rukia's face turned red as she realized her mistake. Feeling uncomfortable, she got up and went to sit at the desk. She decided on pacing slowly instead.

"No need to be so uppity. Geeze, quit pacing, it's making me dizzy. Just sit down, would ya?" He really didn't like the way she looked right now. Something about her crossed arms and furrowed brows made her seem so unnerved. Upon hearing his suggestion, she stopped walking, and turned to face him. He sat on his bed, his back against the wall, and she knew exactly what to do.

Rukia took two long strides across the floor and crawled back onto Ichigo's bed. She resumed the position she'd held earlier in her dream, sitting on his lap. His face showed more surprise than she'd ever thought him capable of.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Rukia now felt an amazing sense of déjà vu. Her dream had unfolded much like the scene she was in now.

"I simply invited you to take a seat. You're the one who decided where to sit." Ichigo was beyond surprised. His dream seemed less like a fantasy and more like a prophecy. "This all seems a little familiar…"

"I dreamt this. Earlier, when we were taking a nap…before I woke up I was dreaming. I dreamed about this moment. But I woke up soon after, and heard you saying something weird. I couldn't understand most of it, but I caught things like 'beautiful' and 'amazing,' or something like that." Rukia didn't know why she was confessing this. Surely he would make fun of her for being so silly?

"That's odd. So did I. Only…" He paused, not knowing if he should continue. If he relayed the scene in his dream, things would certainly change. Was he ready for this? Better yet, was she? He didn't really have a choice, judging by the way she was looking at him. "Only, your shirt was yellow." _I'm such a chicken,_ he thought to himself. Disappointment dawned on her face, and she began to back off toward the edge of the bed. He couldn't allow her to get away again. "And…" He slid his hands onto the skin just above her knees and she froze, "I was seriously considering…taking it off."

Rukia's face was priceless. She hadn't expected for him to say anything even slightly so revealing. Her eyes wandered up to meet his, and she knew that he was being serious. Her posture relaxed, and she scooted back toward him, commandeering a spot on his upper thighs. He, too, relaxed. That is, he tried. His entire being electrified in seconds as he felt Rukia's lips on his cheek.

OOOOOOOOO

Seems like a good place to end for the night. Sorry to leave you hangin but it's 5am and i need my sleeps. The second half will be up later today!


	21. Hands off

Alright, i know i'm skirting around the edges, keeping you all in suspense. I'm not trying to, but these guys just need a little more time before they give in. There's a big adventure coming up in the next chapter!

Thanks to all the reviewers!

OOOOOOOO

"You smell like…some kind of flower." Ichigo wasn't sure how he'd managed to speak. Rukia's lips had followed the exact same path they had in his dream, and the sensation was causing him to lose the ability to think clearly.

Rukia let out an almost silent laugh in his ear. "Lavender. And you smell like something…spicy. I like man soap…" The temperature of her breath against Ichigo's ear caused a wave of tiny shivers down his arms and shoulders. His fingers inadvertently tightened around her upper thighs, and caused her to react in kind. Her hands had traveled up to Ichigo's chest, and were following the lines and scars that dotted the landscape of his skin.

"Ichi?" Rukia rested her forehead against Ichigo's shoulder. She received a 'hmm' and decided that this was the best reply she could hope for. "You don't have to be so careful with me. I'm not going to break." Her sincerity shook Ichigo from his trance, and he decided on a suitable answer.

"I know that. You've been a shinigami for over forty years; I trust your resilience. But you've got to understand…if I did anything that caused you to even consider feeling regret, I'd hate myself." He moved his hands up her sides, and around her back, bringing her into a tight hug. "If I ever hurt you, I'd never forgive myself."

"You're not going to hurt me. I trust you." Rukia rarely managed such honesty. She always felt like she had to hide what she felt, especially around people in the real world. But with Ichigo, things were different. She knew that he would never judge her. They had developed a mutual understanding, especially over the past few months.

"That means the world to me, you know that? I don't even trust myself sometimes. The fact that you do just blows my mind. I guess I should have expected it from you." Ichigo pulled Rukia back far enough away to look at her. His hand wandered to her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "You've been blowing my mind since that first time you hopped in my window." He brought her face foreword and left a tiny kiss on her lips.

"I don't think you have any idea how grateful I am that you're in my life. When I think about how things could be if you'd never come here…" Ichigo shook his head, trying to rid himself of the horrible thoughts.

"I'm not going anywhere. Except, maybe to sleep. It's kind of late…" Rukia had no desire for the moment to end, but knew that if they didn't go to sleep soon, they'd be sorry tomorrow.

"You're right. Are you ready for bed?" Rukia nodded in the affirmative and Ichigo stole one more kiss before lifting the tiny shinigami off of him, and moving them both into a comfortable sleeping position.

OOOOOOOO

"Crap. Hey will you wait here for a minute? I forgot that book we need for the report." Ichigo hated going back into the school after class got out, but didn't really have a choice at the moment.

"Sure. Don't take too long." Rukia gave him a smile as he moved back toward the school at a quick pace. She decided that the shade of a nearby tree seemed appealing, and began to wander over toward the old oak. Unfortunately, she never made it that far.

"Hey there, Kuchiki! How's it going?" Rukia turned toward the unfamiliar voice. A group of boys were walking toward her, looking dubious. "Finally managed to shake Kurosaki for a minute, eh? Bout time." The speaker stepped out in front of his friends and walked up to Rukia.

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care to. Please leave me alone." Rukia wasn't scared, just annoyed. She knew that she could take the guys if it came down to it.

"Oh? Well I'll tell you anyway." The leader stepped even closer to Rukia, and draped his arm over her shoulders. "I'm Hiraku, from class 1-7. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me…"

Rukia had in fact heard of Hiraku. He was rumored to be quite the ladies-man. She'd never had the misfortune of meeting him, and had hoped that her luck would continue. And she had thought that today was going to be a good day. After shrugging Hiraku's arm off and moving away, she said with an indignant air, "Well, yippie for you. I'll be going now." She took two steps in the other direction before he caught up She was expecting such a move and turned, preparing to slap his hand away, but was shocked to see that the hand had already been caught.

"You set one finger on her, and I will make sure you can never use this hand again." Ichigo had hustled all the way to his locker and back, eager to get home. The second he'd walked out the school door, he'd searched the grounds for Rukia. After seeing her company, he'd practically flown across the grounds, and arrived just in time. He managed to grab Hiraku's hand before it reached Rukia's shoulder, and he was now holding the offending limb in his own hand, almost crushing it with rage.

"Ha! Like you could, Kurosaki." The beefy jock pulled his hand away and signaled for his friends to join him. The two upperclassmen stood behind their leader and popped their knuckles threateningly.

"C'mon Rukia. Let's leave these losers to their stupidity." Ichigo wrapped an arm around Rukia's waist protectively and started to guide her out of the yard. He knew that if he tried to fight, he'd get in trouble with the school administrators. With two days of school left, he didn't really care all that much. But he really didn't want to leave Rukia to go to school without him.

Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around just in time to dodge an angry fist. In the process of avoiding being hit, he let go of Rukia, allowing the stubborn jock to fill the space between them.

Ichigo lost all thought of his own safety. He raised a clenched fist and prepared to pounce, but stopped the instant he heard Rukia's voice. "Hey asshole. If you're going to pick on someone stronger than you, why not pick on me instead?" Ichigo was shocked. Why on earth would she say that? Before Ichigo could do anything more, Hiraku had turned to face Rukia, and was preparing to take a swing at her. Without a moment of hesitation, Ichigo flew around and landed in front of Rukia, taking the unsuspected blow.

Within seconds, a group of teachers were running over toward the disturbance, Ishida following close behind. Unbeknownst to the fighting group, he'd been watching from the classroom the craft club used after school, and had alerted the teachers to the potential fight. The gym teacher grabbed the back of Hiraku's shirt and began dragging him off toward the principal's office, while two assistants did the same with his cronies. Ichigo's math teacher crouched down to his spot on the ground and inspected his injury.

Ichigo explained exactly what happened, and was now glad that he hadn't taken a swing. The fault was placed entirely on the bullies, and Ichigo was free to go home. As soon as he and Rukia were out of earshot, he began, "What in the hell were you thinking?" He was upset that she had said something so stupid, and caused him to step in.

"Sorry. I didn't think he'd react like that. I saw that you were about to attack him. I was just trying to prevent you from getting in trouble." Rukia couldn't stop looking at the bruise that had already begun to form on Ichigo's cheek. She felt rather guilty, as he'd gotten the mark while trying to protect her.

"Just do me a favor, and never speak to that guy again." Ichigo wasn't really all that angry anymore. Knowing that Rukia was safe gave him more relief than was necessary to quell his upset.

"No problem there." They walked in silence for a few minutes before Rukia decided to speak up. "Thank you for protecting me. If you hadn't jumped in, I would have been hit." She couldn't believe that Ichigo would do something like that.

"Are you kidding?" Ichigo scoffed, causing Rukia to become annoyed at his attitude. He remedied the situation before she became any more upset. "You should know by now, that I'd die if it meant protecting you." He tilted his head to look at her, and saw her face soften considerably. "It's not like I could just watch you get hurt. You haven't forgotten my days as a ryoka, have you? You don't still honestly think I invaded soul society and went through all of that just to fulfill some little debt do you? Ha! Women are crazy…"

The last comment earned him a half-hearted slap on the arm. He used the same limb to pull Rukia close next to him as they walked. They stayed this way for the rest of the walk. As they neared the Kurosaki clinic, a small form stepped out and snapped a surprise picture.

"Yuzu, what are you doing?" Ichigo griped, releasing Rukia and sending an angry glare at his little sister.

"Anju told us to take pictures." Yuzu laughed and backed away toward the door. "Dinner will be ready at seven!" She disappeared into the house before Ichigo could say another word. Ichigo sent an apologetic smile at Rukia.

"Hey, don't look at me. Anju obviously gets her stubbornness from you." She poked a single finger into his chest. "And for the record, I don't mind taking pictures." Rukia laughed at Ichigo's expression, and followed Yuzu inside the house. Ichigo followed after, rolling his eyes, and went upstairs to work on the history report.

Rukia had been suckered into helping with dinner, so Ichigo was on his own. He made his way up to his room and plopped down on his bed, taking time to grab his folder and book. Something struck him as odd. He flipped through the pages of the book, and noticed many dog-eared pages, and highlighted passages. Ichigo knew instantly that this was not his book, as he rarely even looked in his books if he didn't have to. He must have grabbed Rukia's.

He continued flipping through the textbook, trying to find the correct chapter. He stopped when something fluttered out of the book and into his lap. It was a piece of notebook paper, folded in half twice. He picked the paper up and unfolded it. Scribbled across the surface were many little drawings, and words. His name sat in eloquent script amongst many hearts and stars. Ichigo balked, completely taken aback by what was obviously Rukia's doodle page. He heard footsteps on the stairs, and immediately hid the paper in his pants pocket. Rukia walked in, brushing some flower off of her thigh.

"Hey. How's dinner coming?" That was all he could really come up with. His mind was still flustered with thoughts of Rukia's doodle paper.

"Good. Scallion pancakes are messy. Here…" Rukia threw an ice pack wrapped in a towel at Ichigo. "How's your face?"

"It's fine. Doesn't even hurt." He was lying, and she knew it. Crawling onto the bed next to him, Rukia ran a finger over the dark bruise. He flinched, and she gave him an 'I knew you were lying' gaze. "Whatever. You want to work on this report, or what?" He shoved her book toward her, and she rolled her eyes.

"I guess so." Rukia rolled over and sat up, intending to walk over to the desk. Instead, she felt Ichigo's hand around her waist, and allowed herself to fall into his embrace. He adjusted their position so that she was leaning back against his chest, noting that she was fully capable of working on the report like this. She allowed herself to relax as Ichigo grabbed a manga and began to read it with his head against her shoulder.

It took less than an hour for Rukia to finish the final paragraphs of the report, and she took to reading Ichigo's manga with him. It proved to be unappealing to her tastes, so she reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed her copy of the newest 'vampire knight.' Settling back into Ichigo's chest, she quickly found a comfortable position, and made her way through the novel.

After about half an hour, Ichigo shifted slightly, and pulled her in closer. She enjoyed the change, relishing in his warmth. An odd thought ran through her head. _I could sit like this forever and be completely happy…_but her musings were cut short by a warm sensation crawling over her shoulder. Ichigo had set down his book, and was tracing a path along her neck with his lips. She managed to locate her book-mark and position it correctly in place before Ichigo's hand grabbed the book, and tossed it to the floor. He continued to leave tiny kisses up her neck, and along her jaw, causing her to turn her head to allow him better access.

Rukia felt beyond flustered. So far, Ichigo had been almost reluctant to touch her in any way that could even be conceived as inappropriate. He was being so careful, that Rukia wasn't even sure he was _there_ most of the time. Blood rushed to her face as the sensations registered. She managed an "Ichi…" but couldn't think of what exactly she wanted to say.

"Too much?" He paused, and waited for a response. He'd been considering his move since the second Rukia had settled against him. After having gone back and forth over what to do, he'd decided on his present endeavor.

"No. Just…surprising. I was starting to think you'd never get up the courage to…do something like this." She leaned her head back further and looked up into his eyes. In their dusty amber depths, she saw something even more surprising than Ichigo's actions. She saw desire. Something sparked within her, and she couldn't resist the attraction she felt toward Ichigo.

"Hmm. I told you, I'm worried about hurting you. I don't want to do anything you don't want to." Ichigo continued now that he'd gotten the go ahead. He leaned foreword and captured her lips with his own. The kiss started out just like all of the previous had, gentle and slow. But something had happened between them in the past few minutes. Some kind of silent understanding grew through the moment, and they both felt the need for more.

Tentatively, Ichigo pushed closer to Rukia, who didn't stop him. Instead, she moved to do the same. The kiss lost its usual innocence, and gained a newfound intensity. Ichigo moved his hand around to the back of Rukia's head, and found that he loved the feeling of his fingers in her hair. He used his leverage to bring her even closer. After a moment, they had to come up for air. Instead of simply allowing her to dangle in front of him, Ichigo pulled Rukia back down to his chest.

"Have I ever told you how much I enjoy having you next to me? Like this…just lying here with you is so nice." Rukia felt so incredibly relaxed. She'd always felt so wound, like she was expecting something to jump out at her. But in moments like these, she allowed herself to completely let go, and just exist.

"As do I. We really must do this more often." Once again, Ichigo caught himself smelling Rukia's hair. It seemed to happen without him even knowing these days. He remained silent for a few minutes, and heard a distinct change in the pattern of Rukia's breathing. Knowing that she was asleep, he kissed her forehead, and slid them down into the corner, using his pillows to prop them up comfortably, and went to sleep.


	22. It's Beautiful

Goodness, it's been a hectic couple of days! I just got back from the breaking dawn release party, and i'm pooped! I managed to get 100 pages into the book before deciding that i needed to post another chapter. Sorry it took so long to get up! The next one shouldn't take long at all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Good morning class! I hope everyone brought their bags, cause it's time to go!" A tall, dark-haired teacher walked into class and waved her arms about, signaling for everyone to follow. Today was the second-to-last day of school for the year, and it was a special occasion. The entire class had been preparing for today's trip to Moji island for some time. Once out on the island, they would have to locate a plant of some type, gather specimens, and take them home over the summer to care for them. Keeping the plants alive until the next semester began was the main objective. However, there would be extra points for anyone who managed to breed their plants, and successfully gather the seeds and/or flowers. Each group had been given a single disposable camera to catalogue their progress over the long summer.

Luckily, the class had gotten to choose their partners. Ichigo had immediately grabbed Rukia's hand and held onto her firmly. He knew that they would be camping out on the island overnight, and couldn't bear the thought of her staying with anyone else. Besides, Rukia always did well on school projects.

The class boarded a bus, and headed off toward the island. The drive would take three hours, and Ichigo had come prepared. He'd even brought a travel pillow in case he felt like sleeping. Within moments of taking off, he pulled out his Nintendo DS and began to play final fantasy. Rukia looked on for a while, still marveling at the technology of the real world. She had every intention of reading the book she'd brought specifically for the long drive, but ended up falling asleep on Ichigo's shoulder in the first half-hour. Knowing that she'd wind up with a sore neck, Ichigo adjusted her so that she was half on the seat, half-curled up in his lap.

People were staring, but he didn't care. He'd long since lost any concern for the judgment of others. He noticed Orihime's sad face, and felt a tiny pang of guilt. He'd known all along how she felt for him, but could never manage to return the feelings. Even before Rukia showed up, he'd only ever seen Orihime as a friend. Ishida, who'd opted to have Orihime as a partner, started talking about something he'd seen on tv last week as a means to distract her. It worked, and Ichigo silently thanked Isida for his help.

Ichigo never managed to get back to his game. He was so incredibly distracted by the tiny woman curled up against him that he couldn't focus on attacking the pixilated monsters. After a few tries, he gave up and settled on simply enjoying the ride. Every now and then, something in the scenery would gain his attention, but only briefly. Inevitably, his eyes would dart back to Rukia. She seemed so peaceful when asleep. All of the worries and troubles of life seemed to fall away, and the strong demeanor she kept up while awake disappeared.

Ichigo had never watched her sleep before, even though they'd been spending the night together for over two weeks now. Something about her unconscious face drew him in. He reached down and swept a few strands of hair out of her face, causing her to gain a tiny smile and snuggle closer to him. How on earth he'd managed to be unaware of her this long, he'd never know.

After two hours, Rukia began to stir. They'd reached the end of paved roads, and were now on a bumpy dirt path. At first, she seemed a bit disoriented. After getting her bearings, she shot up and pulled herself back to her side of the seat, looking thoroughly embarrassed. Ichigo couldn't help but laugh a little at her disturbed appearance. This earned him a slap on the shoulder and a mean glare from Rukia.

"Why did you let me do that?" She crossed her arms and looked out the window, attempting to hide her red face.

"Chill, Rukia. It's not like I mind you sleeping on me. You just looked so peaceful; I didn't have the heart to wake you. Sorry for being considerate…" Ichigo had managed to go from blissfully happy to resentful in mere moments.

His reply earned him an apologetic glance from his partner. "I just thought…well…" she felt a little uncomfortable discussing their relationship in such a public place, but thought that it was better to speak up now rather than later. "You haven't exactly been big on openly displaying our new…status." Her face reddened once more, and she shrunk down in her seat.

Ichigo couldn't find the words to reply. He settled on wrapping an arm around Rukia's shoulders while racking his brain for a good response. "I didn't know what you'd want. I mean, everyone in the school likes you. You're nice, and pretty, and very agreeable. But with me…well everyone tends to simply avoid me. I dunno if it's because of my hair, my constantly furrowed brow, or a combination of the two, but people just don't like me. I figured you'd rather keep your good reputation…" he was interrupted by a squeeze on the hand.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Her voice held no malice, and no anger. In the past, Ichigo would have taken this as a hurtful slur, but things had changed. He no longer heard any form of hate in her voice. To be honest, he never really had. He'd always let himself believe that she meant what she said; it made things easier. But he'd recently taken up the art of translating Rukia into English, and was doing pretty well if he did say so himself.

"I know. But so are you." This was honestly the best he could come up with.

"True." She paused and moved closer to Ichigo in the seat. "You're answer is crap. I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying being your……" Rukia stopped. They hadn't had any kind of official talk yet. Nothing had been said by either party to declare them an actual couple. Should she dare make the presumption?

"Girlfriend?" Ichigo smiled as he said the word. He'd been waiting for her to bring up the subject of the exact nature of their relationship. Now that she had, he was feeling much like a firework on the inside. Something about making them official just satisfied him so much.

"If labels were to be had…then…I suppose that could be mine…" her eyes darted up to his for a brief second before falling to her fingers, interlacing them with his. For the first time in her extended life, Rukia wished that she had more experience in the relationship field. She'd always been perfectly happy alone, never needing another person to make her life satisfying. She didn't _need_ Ichigo either, but would much prefer to have him around.

Ichigo was about to respond when he felt a sudden lurch toward the front of the bus. Apparently, they'd arrived at their destination. Commotion surrounded them as everyone gathered their things at the same time. Ichigo whispered in Rukia's ear, "Don't think I'm dropping this." And without another word, he picked up both his and Rukia's bags and left the bus, making sure every few feet that she was right behind him.

Once everyone got off the bus and arranged, the teacher led them to a small fleet of boats, which took them across the open water, and onto the island. Once there, various volunteers handed out specimen collecting kits to every team, and a list of instructions. They were all to be spending the night on the island, and would leave tomorrow afternoon. A camp-site had been established near the main beach, and everyone was welcome to stay there if they felt the need. Some groups, however, decided to strike out on their own, and find a more secluded spot.

Ichigo decided that he'd rather not spend a whole day and night surrounded by his teachers and class-mates, and took a map of the island to search for a better spot. Rukia pointed out what looked to be a little spring at the mouth of a river, and Ichigo agreed that it was a perfect spot. Together, they traveled through the light forest to seek out their destination. Upon finding it, Ichigo congratulated Rukia on having such a good eye. A small pool of water gurgled up from beneath a bed of rocks, and fed into a small river. Not only was it an ideal spot to camp, but there were plants galore around the natural water feature. Surely they would be able to find a good specimen among them.

After a brief tour of the area, Ichigo drug out an old tent his father had kept hidden away in the attic. Rukia began to help him pull the poles out, but was scared off by a rather large, angry spider that had made the bag his home. Ichigo regretted laughing at her immediately, as she had thrown a small pebble at his head, and managed to hit him decently hard. He threw a few curses her way, and managed to set the small tent up in less than ten minutes.

Ichigo sat down to admire his hard work. He'd worked up a sweat, and had to run a forearm across his face to remove the sticky liquid. It was then that he noticed Rukia's absence. He scoured the trees in front of him, and quickly decided that she wasn't among them. As he turned around on his rock, his eyes fell upon quite a site.

Rukia was standing in the shallows of the spring, holding the bottom of her dress up around her knees as to not get it wet. The sun fell down on the scene, illuminating the water, greenery, and her amazing alabaster skin. She kicked her feet around in the water, and gazed up at the sun, shielding her eyes with one hand. Ichigo was speechless. He'd seen her in that dress a million times, and never once had she looked like this. She looked like some kind of goddess only ever found in vastly heroic tales.

Rukia had yet to notice her captive audience. She took her time surveying the surrounding trees and shrubs, completely oblivious to her quickly approaching partner. Not wanting to scare her, or end the moment, he sat down on a rock near the water's edge, and watched her. Noticing that this was becoming a habit, he forced his eyes to the scenery around him, only to have them return to her.

"It's beautiful." Rukia wasn't one to love the outdoors. Sure, she liked swimming, and flowers were thoroughly enjoyable. But as far as hiking, camping, and other things of that nature, she would rather just sit at home with a good book. But there was something about this place that had gained her full respect.

"Yeah, beautiful." Ichigo wasn't talking about the view. His mind had already wandered back to the stunning woman in front of him, and God himself could not divert his attention. Rukia turned once she noticed his strange tone of voice. Ichigo was staring at her like she was the only thing that existed. Her face flushed red as she realized the meaning behind Ichigo's words. Moving to sit on a rock beside him, she took his hand and asked, "Ready to find us a plant?"

"Absolutely." His response held a dreamy tone, something Rukia had never expected to hear from him. But for now, she decided, they had work to do.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Seriously?" Anju jumped up and down with glee. Ukitake had just informed her of a very special assignment she was about to be tasked with.

"Indeed. There seems to be something drawing the hollows attention near the Hina river. Something unusual and powerful is attracting hollows to that spot, and we need to know what. Few are as voiced in the manners of the real world as you, and I think that this assignment would bring you respect from your squad, not to mention the rest of the Gotei 13." Ukitake sat quietly at a small table, eating more of Anju's wonderful cooking. He was more than happy to see the little girl's reaction. At first, he'd feared that she might hold back, thinking it beyond her to do such things within the first month of her captaincy.

"When do I leave?" Anju bounded over to her dresser and yanked the top drawer open, pulling out a few garments and tossing them haphazardly toward Atsuko, who caught them gracefully.

"In about an hour. Are you sure you're alright with doing this?" Ukitake more than trusted Anju with such a task, but feared to send her alone.

"Of course! I love the real world. And anything I can do to help…well I'm all for it. And don't worry about me, Ukitake. I've got Atsuko here. She can send you reports hourly to keep you up to date." On the balls of her feet, Anju bounced around her room, throwing various object to the life-sized doll, who packed them all in a large suit case.

"We'll send you with all the equipment you'll need. I appreciate you taking this up, Anju." Every day the friendship between the two captains grew. Anju was unlike any other captain Ukitake had ever known. She was always light-hearted, and upbeat. Everyone could tell that she was mature and responsible, and they appreciated her enthusiasm. A bond had grown between guardian and charge, and both were relishing in the friendship.

"Great. All ready to go! Can I go early…?" Her question caused Ukitake to laugh heartily, and nod a yes. He didn't know how anyone would ever be able to turn the adorable girl down.

It took only moments before the pair reached the gate. Ukitake gave Anju a pat on the back, and then decided on a hug instead. She returned the gesture, and departed, waving as she disappeared through the gates.


	23. Cave time

**This would have been up yesterday, but that stupid hurricane edouard or whatever they called it, made landfall about 5 miles down the road. We lost power for like 12 hours. No fun. But i've got power again, and i've finished cleaning the tree debris out of my yard.**

**Freakin hate hurricanes. That's what i get for living down here, i guess. The second i graduate, i'm out of here.**

**Anyway, here's the second part of the three(or four) part adventure saga. The next part shall be up within 24 hours, i wanna say.**

**Thanks reviewers! you guys make my day!**

OOOOOOOOOOOOo

"What's this? It looks interesting enough…" Rukia poked a finger at a plant wielding a yellow flower, and looked toward Ichigo questioningly.

"Nah. Too plain. If we're going to do this, we've at least got to find something unique." The pair had spent much of the past two hours searching through the forest around their camp site, trying to find something that piqued their interests. They'd found many plants that piqued their interests, but nothing that really stood out.

_At least this isn't boring_, Rukia thought. She actually kind of enjoyed wandering around like this with Ichigo. When they usually spent time alone together, it was always at his house. They'd never really taken a trip like this. He was letting his guard down, and being himself. She would have to try to get him out of the house more.

Something odd pulled at the corner of Rukia's consciousness. At first, she assumed that she was just staring at a strange mass of land. But after a few seconds, she tilted her head and looked closer. Something was off about this wall of plants. Without really thinking about it, she moved foreword, extending a hand out toward the seemingly solid mass. Her hand connected, and the solidity gave way to open space.

"Ichigo? Come see this." She was distracted, but not so much so that she didn't feel one of his arms slink around her protectively. "It's a cave. At least, I think it is." She peered beyond the curtain of vines into utter darkness, more curious than afraid.

"Hmm. Want to check it out?" Ichigo's sense of adventure never ceased to amaze her. With a tiny nod, she grabbed the flash light from his belt and clicked it on. Beyond the hanging shrubbery was a tunnel of black rock. The occasional green sprouted up from the floor near the entrance, but beyond that, everything was solid earth. Ichigo placed one hand on top of Rukia's holding the flashlight with her, and pointing it in various directions. He needed only to look into her eyes to know that she wanted to go further.

With caution, the two adventurers edged their way inside the hidden cave, following along one wall until it curved toward the right. Weaving in and out of a few low stalagmites, they walked another thirty feet in almost pitch black before noticing a small stream of water flowing back in the direction they'd come. "I bet this feeds into that spring near our tent." Ichigo said nonchalantly. He was much more interested in the cave itself at the moment.

After taking a few more steps, Rukia froze in her path, causing Ichigo to bump into her from behind. "What's wrong?" He received a 'shhh' and instantly became silent. From somewhere ahead of them, music was playing. At first, a simple melody played by what could only be a guitar flowed through the darkness. It was soon joined by a voice.

My never lyrics go here

A new voice joined in the spectacle, humming along with the acoustic song. Rukia recognized it instantly. "Ichigo, that's…" He finished her sentence for her.

"Anju. Yeah, I think so. Let's go see." Ichigo urged Rukia foreword with a gentle hand. They rounded a second bend in the tunnel and came upon a round room being lit by half a dozen candles and what appeared to be floating orb-like lights. Many small electronic machines sat amongst a ring of oddly live plants. There was no way sun could penetrate this deeply…

In the center of the whirling and buzzing sat a lone figure, holding a faintly glowing plant in gloved hands. She plucked a tiny leaf from the tiny stem with a pair of tweezers and slid it into one of the nearby machines. The device hummed to life and spit out what appeared to be a series of odd lines on a tiny sheet of paper. The figure ripped the paper from the mouth of the machine, and handed it over to what could only be described as her partner, who fed the paper through a hole in its own stomach.

"That's not it. Try the next one." The large round shape said, pointing to another tiny glowing plant.

"Alright, Atsuko. Turn the music back up would ya? It's way too quiet in here. Creeps me out…" Anju's voice filled the small cavern, echoing off of the walls. She disposed of the plant that remained in her hand and went to pick at the one previously pointed out by Atsuko.

"Anju…" Atsuko began as she leaned over to the nearby stereo.

"I promise we won't attract any attention from the outside. The walls are as thick as the remorse in this song." Anju sounded slightly annoyed at Atsuko's constant pestering. She went on about her gathering as the doll fidgeted about nervously.

"I understand that. But there's something else I must tell you." Atsuko had been bothering Anju all morning about this and that. Mostly about how she didn't know what on earth she was doing. Anju really didn't care.

"Alright. Well out with it." The flustered girl plucked another tiny leaflet off of the current stem and dropped it into the same whirring machine.

"Rukia and Ichigo have appeared at the mouth of this cavern." Atsuko said in almost a whisper. It took less than a second for the statement to sink in, and Anju dropped what she was holding. Turning around slowly, she glared in shock at the two intruders. Without a moment hesitation, she jumped up and ran toward them, a broad smile on her face. She landed between them, one arm flying around Ichigo's waist, the other around Rukia's.

"And here I was thinking that I wouldn't get to see you guys 'til tomorrow! We have awesome luck!" Ichigo and Rukia looked up at each other, and then back down at the little girl. Rukia patted her on the back while Ichigo smoothed her hair. "What on earth are you guys doing all the way out here? I thought school ended tomorrow…"

"School project." Ichigo mumbled, grudgingly.

"We get to stay out here overnight, and find a really cool plant to take care of over the summer." Rukia had never expected to find Anju in such a place. This little girl just kept on surprising her. "But what are you doing in the real world? And here of all places?"

"Something's been drawing hollows here…like a beacon. They sent me out here because I'm the most familiar with the real world. Plus, I know how to operate all this stuff." She used a tiny arm to gesture around the space. "These plants are glowing oddly, but so far I can't identify any of them as abnormal. Looks like they're just some freaky cave plants…" her face contorted in an odd motion, and she crossed her arms.

"These look really cool. Ichigo, what do you think about using one for our project?" Rukia walked over to the mysterious cave fauna and poked one with a curious finger.

"Well they're definitely unique. Think it'd be safe kid?" Ichigo had already grown to respect Anju's opinion in the short time that he'd known her. It had been like that with Rukia as well, although he never showed it. Like mother, like daughter, he guessed.

"Yeah, everything in here checked out. If only I had a better way of locating the right spot…" Anju brought her fingers to her tiny chin in thought. After walking half of the perimeter of the space, she stopped and snapped her fingers. "Got it!" Her hand moved in front of her face and pulled her hollow mask out of mid-air. Once equipped, she sniffed around, poking her head in every corner of the cave. "Well," she began once finished searching, "looks like the thing's not in here. Guess I should look elsewhere…" and the hollow mask disappeared.

"And what exactly did you just do?" Ichigo was annoyed at the casualness with which she executed the move. It had taken him so long to simply achieve a few seconds of hollow-control. How was she doing this so easily?

"Well since it's a hollow attractor, I figured my hollow would be able to find it easier than my normal self." Anju stood tall, proud that she'd thought of such a thing. "I can sense something, but it's not inside this cave. Atsuko, we'd better pack up and look elsewhere."

"Absolutely. The humidity in here is overwhelming…" The doll went around the room, stacking machines and samples on a cart. Anju returned to her friends.

"Got any suggestions? See anything weird out there?" She could use all the help she could get right now. Ukitake had not given her much to go on.

"Nah. We haven't been here that long." Ichigo assisted in the pick up, moving electronics back to their proper portable positions.

"Oh well. Guess I'll wander around a bit then. With my luck, I'll stumble upon it by accident before I'll purposefully locate it." She giggle a little at her own criticism, and walked with Ichigo and Rukia out the door, Atsuko trailing behind.

OOOOOOOO

"Figures she'd show up here." Ichigo and Rukia had wandered back to their camp, plant sample in hand. They'd taken a large bag of its own dirt so that they could at least maintain something of its natural habitat.

"Life is funny that way." The airy tone in Rukia's voice took Ichigo by surprise. They'd been having a completely normal conversation about leaving the island tomorrow, and how to keep the plant alive over the summer. It had been mutually agreed upon that the plant would live in the closet to mirror the darkness of the cave. They'd decided to take turns watering it every day. "Things you don't expect just kind of happen. Then you're left all confused, and no one is telling you what's going on. You have to figure it out by yourself…" she spoke quietly as she absentmindedly poked at the pebbles lining the edge of the spring.

Ichigo understood what she was talking about. Or at least he thought he did. At the very least, it could only be one of a few things, which helped. He decided to try to get more information before jumping to conclusions. "Yeah, life can really just up and surprise you sometimes. As luck would have it, I've got a long list of things that have happened to me that I'd consider good." He joined her at the edge of the water, hoping to better understand her.

"Ichigo, I think I want to sit in the water." This statement surprised him. The previous tone had vanished, leaving a lack of feeling in its wake. "It's gotten really hot out here. I'll be right back." Rukia got up and went inside the small tent, zipping it closed behind her. Ichigo took this chance to think about earlier conversations that would maybe hint at what their present topic could be. He came up empty. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the zipper being opened, and the light footsteps nearing the water.

Rukia was knee-deep in the water before Ichigo reacted. He'd turned his eyes up, expecting Rukia to have put on an old pair of clothes for swimming. He'd never seen her in a swim suit before, and the site caused him so much shock, he fell off of his rock, and into the shallows of the water himself. He got up as quickly as possible, but could already hear Rukia's snide laugh from behind. _Laugh at me, will ya? I'll teach you…_his thoughts tangled, and in one fluid motion, he swirled around, and launched himself toward the still laughing Rukia.

She gasped once she realized what was going on. He was going to tackle her into the water, and she had no time to get out of the way. Bracing herself for the impact, she took in a deep breath and felt his hands feel their way around her waist. In less than a heartbeat, he had them both under water.


	24. Swim for your lives

**Okay, so i lied. Four-parter. maybe five...**

OOOOOOOOOOO

Two wet figures burst through the surface of the otherwise serene spring. One laughed, while the other practically growled.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Rukia didn't yell. Instead, she lowered her voice into a very dangerous tone while trying to wipe the water out of here face.

"Just a little payback." Ichigo laughed even harder. He loved when she talked like this, trying to sound all dark and scary.

"And what exactly did I do to deserve this?" Her voice lightened. She couldn't help but be amused at his playful nature. He rarely let this side of him come through.

"You knocked me off my rock. Figured if I had to be all wet, then so did you. Besides, you're the one who said 'I want to sit in the water.' Ichigo reeled his laughter in. He knew better than to push Rukia, especially in such crucial times.

"Well maybe if you weren't staring, you'd still be dry." Rukia crossed her arms, only half-upset now. She realized that the whole event had been sparked by Ichigo's attraction to her, and figured that she shouldn't punish him for such a thing.

Ichigo was having trouble deciding on how to respond. He could simply let this slide, or he could…

"How can you expect me to look away when you're standing there like that?" Ichigo looked away and tried to conceal a smirk. He knew that she was playing with him, but really couldn't make himself break her charade. He turned and walked back toward the bank, taking a seat in the shallows. He decided that if she could mess with his mind like this, he could mess with hers right back. Taking off his soaked wife-beater, he rung the material out, and tossed it toward the tent. Two could play this game.

Rukia fought the heat in her face, suddenly very aware of exactly how little she was wearing. The plan to equip her swim suit came up in her mind in an instant. She hadn't even needed to think about it. But her decision weighed down on her shoulders now, and she had the sudden desire to sink into nothingness.

"What are you still standin' there for?" Ichigo reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his lap. She stiffened at the sudden closeness, and almost pulled away. But at the softness of his form, and his welcome embrace, she caved against her senses, and relaxed against him. "See, that's better, isn't it?" He twisted her around so that she was sitting sideways across his lap, one shoulder pressed firmly against his chest.

"I promised we'd talk earlier." The statement sounded odd to both parties. Something was present in his voice that Rukia had never heard. Was it true fear? She didn't have time to decide. "Now seems as good a time as any." He sounded so serious. "There are things that you need to know…before you decide whether or not you'll take up the title of…my girlfriend. Geeze I hate that word. It falls so short of describing you. I don't think there is a word in existence that can describe what you are to me." His brow furrowed even tighter than it normally did. Rukia could feel his heart racing just beneath his ribs.

"Oh? And what could I possibly need to know that would impact my decision?" Rukia's voice was careful, slightly afraid of what he was going to say. Regardless, she held her position.

Ichigo waited a moment before continuing. "What I have to say is kind of big. It'll change things, but I don't know exactly how." His arms tightened around Rukia instinctively.

"I highly doubt you'll be able to scare me off." Her voice seemed to fortify him, and he finally spoke.

"We've been moving in this direction for a while, but ever since Anju showed up, things have been different. I used to think that I'd be perfectly happy just having you around. Don't get me wrong, if nothing else, I want you around, in whatever capacity you're comfortable being." Rukia looked up at him with a glare. Her eyes said what he could only assume was 'you idiot.' He continued nevertheless.

"As you probably know, I'm not fond of the game. People my age do a lot of things that I'm not fond of, but this stupid routine is probably my least favorite." He answered Rukia's confusion with a simple statement: "dating. I've never had even the slightest desire to mingle with various girls, going through them at random, trying to find one that fits. It seems awkward to me. I don't care for making enemies. I have far too many as it is…" They both smiled at this statement, knowing how very true it was.

"I don't know exactly what was holding me back. People are always telling me that I need to get out there and find a girl. But I don't want what they want for me. I don't want an ornament, someone who's there just for the sake of being seen next to me, and having a label. I want more than that. I always just kind of hoped that I'd find the girl I was meant to be with and then…well we'd just…_be_." Ichigo was having trouble putting his thoughts into words. Luckily, Rukia understood, and nodded to assure him that he hadn't lost her. Ichigo took a breath, relieved that she was following him, yet frightened at what he was about to say.

"So…I guess what I'm trying to say is…from what I can tell, you're that person to me." He looked directly at her for the first time since he'd started speaking, and received a warm smile in return. _That_, he thought, _is what gives me my strength._ "I don't see you like I see every other girl. And it's not just because you're a shinigami. I've seen plenty of shinigami women, and they appear to me just like the girls here in the real world. It confused me at first, but I think I get it now. I'm perfectly happy being friends with all of them. I'm fine with us living out our lives, and going our separate ways when the time comes. But with _you…_I want more. I don't think I'll be happy with just a meager year or two. I don't know exactly how long shinigami live, but I still don't think that it's long enough to satisfy me." He paused for effect. "Somehow, I don't even think the rest of eternity is enough. Cause what I feel for you, it transcends time, death, and even the laws of soul society. Rukia…" He'd lost her eyes to their surroundings. Maybe she was afraid to look at him, or maybe she didn't feel the same way. But Ichigo had thrown off all fear when he'd started this conversation. As he said her name, she chanced a look at him. He caught her eyes with his own and held them there. His chin fell, causing his lips to separate. He struggled with his thoughts for a moment longer before saying, "I love you."

Rukia blinked, once, twice, and then again. Ichigo was counting. He noted the number of blinks, how many breaths she took, even the beats of her heart…anything to distract him from what he'd just done. Of one thing he was certain. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

"How?" Was her whispered reply. Ichigo raised one eyebrow in confusion. "How do you…but I'm…" She mumbled something, and gave a short, tiny laugh. "I have been trying for _months_ to figure out what exactly was going on in my head, and in a few measly sentences, you manage to sum it up perfectly." With sudden realization fueling her bravery, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Well, I love you too."

After a moment's silence, Rukia burst into laughter. Ichigo couldn't help but give a few chuckles of his own while confusion set in. Rukia's laughs fell down into a few low giggles before she said, "I'm sorry. I have inappropriate reactions to unusual situations like this. We really are amazingly stupid aren't we?"

"We are indeed. But you know what that means, right?" Ichigo's mood was so elevated, he wasn't even sure he was on the planet any more.

"Please, do enlighten me." Relief flooded through Rukia's body. Months of trying to work through her thoughts had ended in this one moment. She really couldn't believe it.

"Well, now that we know how stupid we are, we have to do something about it." His matter-of-fact tone signaled mischief, and Rukia knew it.

"And what do you suggest?" she fed the fire.

"We make ourselves less stupid, of course." Passion erupted in his eyes, and spread to hers in mere seconds. Without needing to speak any further, they knew exactly how the other felt. Right now, the only thing on their minds was cementing this new contract.

Temptation grew into longing, and neither could resist the almost gravitational pull of the other. With far less hesitation than ever before, Ichigo brought his lips down onto Rukia's. Four slivers of pink met in earnest, eager to move against one another. Ichigo moved one arm up Rukia's back, allowing two fingers to leave a trail of goose bumps on their way to her neck. Once there, it climbed more slowly up and found the perfect spot against her jaw line, and cheek. The other hand remained on the small of her back, gently tugging her body closer. One of Rukia's hands had wandered around to the back of Ichigo's head, and felt through his wet hair. Her other wound around his shoulders and allowed far more closeness than either had ever experienced.

The sensation of being so very near one another electrified their skin. Trepidation was replaced by longing, and Ichigo dared to go beyond their previous limits. Using all of the restrain he could muster, he parted his lips, and sucked gently at her bottom lip, pulling it in between his teeth. She gasped, and he smiled. He took the opportunity to run the tip of his tongue along the top edge of her now parted lips. When she didn't resist, he braved a deeper location. His tongue came to meet up with hers, causing shock waves to radiate through them.

At first, it was all he could do not to explode. He ran his tongue back along the smooth surfaces inside her cheek, met her tongue in the middle, and back up the other side. After having assured himself that he'd felt all of her texture, he went to the next sense…taste. It took a moment to pinpoint the exact taste, but he found it. It was like your first sip of clean, cool water after working in the yard all day. The relief she brought to his body was the equivalent of such a glass.

Ichigo decided that he wanted more. He moved his free arm to encircle her back more, and picked her up, separating their lips only briefly. While she was elevated, he gave her a twist, and she knew instinctively what he was trying to do. With a swift move of her leg, she gained a better position on his lap, fully facing him now. He set her down slowly, taking in every inch of skin decades to pass. Once she was finally back to a seated position, he reclaimed her lips, less anxious than before. He took his time, allowing them both to feel every touch, taste, and movement.

They both knew that the moment would have to end eventually. They did have things to do, and lives to live. Eventually, they reluctantly separated. Although their lips left one another, their bodies remained connected. Neither wanted to lose the immediate presence of the other, and Rukia settled into a deep hug-like position.

They remained like this until the sun was almost set. They very well might have stayed longer, if not for the screaming child running in their direction.

"Out! Go! RUN!" Anju came ambling through the trees, bobbing and weaving, ducking under low branches here and there. Rukia spun around to see, but only saw a blur before she was lifted out of the water by…the water itself. Ichigo had been lifted as well, and was half-swimming beside her. A pair of arms grabbed them mid-flight and in a flash, they were behind a large tree. "Uncle…here…don't…speak…" Was all that Anju managed before she disappeared around the tree.

Rukia didn't know what on earth was going on, but knew to follow Anju's instructions. She covered Ichigo's mouth with her hand and closed her eyes, concentrating on sensing her surroundings. From a few feet away, voices began.

"Anju." Her name was more of a statement than anything. "I see you are taking your mission seriously." Byakuya's voice was far less fierce than any present remembered it. "I seem to have sensed Rukia's riatsu nearby. Do you know where she is?"

Both Ichigo and Rukia felt an odd sensation at this moment. They looked at one another as they realized that their own riatsus had disappeared, and reappeared on the beach of the island, where most of the rest of their class was located.

"Oh, yeah, they're around. Last I checked they were on the beach with their class. Summer project, you know." Anju was practiced in lying through her teeth, but Byakuya did not know this.

"I see. Why, then, did I sense them here?" The man was just as smart as everyone assumed. Nothing got past him.

"Oh, probably cause they were here earlier. Rukia sensed me, and came to see why I was here, naturally. Pray tell, why have you come here, uncle?" Anju had thought through many excuses while on the way to the spring, and was ready for anything.

"I came to give you this." He revealed a small object in his hand. "The other communicator is not as effective as this one. You'll do well to use this instead." He passed the little device to Anju, who accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you uncle! That's so thoughtful. I'm sure this will make communication much easier." Anju gave her best smile, and Byakuya began to retreat, no longer suspicious.

"You are welcome. Good luck, and be careful out here." The captain waved a hand around, a disgusted look on his face. With a simple swing of the sword, he opened a gate, and followed a hell butterfly through.

Once the gate shut, and disappeared, Anju sighed and fell to her knees. "You can come out now…" she said just loud enough for the two hiding shinigami to hear. They emerged and walked out to her, unsure of whether or not it was truly safe.

"What on _earth_ just happened?" Rukia spoke for both herself and Ichigo.

"Uncle just happened. You heard." Anju covered her face with her hand and fell back on to the ground. "Do you have any idea what would have happened if you were found?"

Rukia didn't even want to think about it. She'd been in a skimpy swim suit, in a secluded spring, sitting on Ichigo's lap in a very compromising position. He might have just died. "Well thanks to you, we'll never have to find out. How did you know…"

"Ukitake. That man is an angel. I swear, if it weren't for him, I'd be lost. He sent a butterfly ahead and warned me." Anju sat up and dusted herself off. "Well, I still have things I need to take care of. Please watch out while you're here." And with that, Anju was gone once again.

Ichigo didn't even have the capacity to talk. He simply ran one hand through his still wet hair, and used the other to grab Rukia's hand to lead her back to their camp.


	25. Going home

There were three things of which Rukia was acutely aware

There were three things of which Rukia was acutely aware. First, she was incredibly awake. Second, the warmth that had kept her asleep was not within reach. Third, and most importantly, food was being made only a few feet away.

A forth thing suddenly popped into her mind. Although she had yet to open her eyes, she knew that someone was poking their way back into the tent. Ichigo's warmth touched her face, and she could smell his spicy scent along with the food now.

"Good morning" He knew that she was awake. He'd grown accustomed to her sleeping face in the past few weeks, and although her current face was relaxed, it was not nearly as peaceful as it was when she slept.

"Morning." Rukia scooted toward the warmth that seemed to keep her rooted to the ground these days. She found his arms open and waiting.

"Breakfast is ready." Ichigo noted the goose bumps on Rukia's skin and lifted her up in his arms. The morning was cool, with an unusually strong wind blowing in from the east. "It's not much, but it tastes good. You hungry?" He couldn't resist taking in a breath against her soft hair.

"Absolutely." She received a tiny kiss on the temple and reluctantly left Ichigo's arms for the open zipper of the tent. Within a circle of rocks a few feet away glowed a low fire, Situated above the flames was a metal grate held by two Y-shaped sticks, and a skillet delicately balanced on top. Ichigo followed Rukia out of the tent and grabbed the skillet, giving it a shake. Rukia stood in awe as a large omelet flipped up out of the hot metal, twirled in the air, and fell back in place.

"How come I didn't know you could do that?" Rukia had never seen Ichigo do any form of cooking. She had to admit, he was highly attractive with a skillet.

"I usually don't get the chance. Yuzu does all the cooking, but that doesn't mean I don't know how. My dad took us on quite a few camping trips when we were younger, so I know how to make a fire and do other helpful camp things." Ichigo flipped the fully cooked omelet onto a paper plate and passed it over to Rukia. He retrieved a fork and bottle of water and handed them to a still shocked Rukia. She took a tentative bite and found that it tasted almost as good as Yuzu's. Almost on cue, he asked, "does it tastes alright?"

"It's delicious." She paused long enough to flash him a stunning smile before going back to her food.

"Good. We need to leave in about an hour. I packed most of our stuff this morning, but I'll need your help with the tent." Ichigo always wondered how one managed to get so much material into such a small bag.

After finishing her breakfast, Rukia helped Ichigo with the difficult task of putting the tent up. They tried many different ways of folding the thin material, but whatever they tried always ended up being insufficient. After half an hour, they sat down to regroup.

"I've got an idea." Rukia spoke first. "I learned a few origami folds from one of the servants. Maybe we could use that as a guide?"

"I'm up for anything at this point." Ichigo was already running his hand through his hair, frustrated at not being able to defeat a simple piece of plastic.

Rukia got up and instructed Ichigo to grab the corner across from her. After a few folds, they got the tent into an air-free, small square. They rolled it into a tube and folded it in half. Victory was finally achieved as the very dense wad of tent was now small enough to fit into its bag.

Although it was not yet 9 in the morning, the sun was blazing through the thin forest, and causing the two adventurers to sweat profusely. Ichigo grumbled and went to fetch the wash cloth he'd already packed. He joined Rukia at the spring's edge to wash up before heading back to the beach to join their classmates.

The bus trip home was far less energetic than the one to the island. Most of the class hadn't gotten a good night's sleep, and were suffering from the ill effects of sleeping on a hard ground. Ichigo and Rukia were the only two who seemed to be perfectly at ease, having managed to sleep very well with the other's company.

That's when they noticed the stares. Everyone seemed to be focused on them. Although they weren't trying to act any different, the night previous had changed them in subtle ways. Ichigo did things unconsciously now, like reaching a hand behind her back to help her up the bus stairs, or holding her hand as she scooted down onto their seat. The classmates were in awe at the smile that Rukia gave Ichigo in return. Ishida had to distract Orihime once again so that she didn't spend the entire ride in anguish.

The class arrived back at the school shortly after noon, and were released for the summer. Ichigo and Rukia walked hand in hand toward the Kurosaki house in celebration. They didn't really care about the stares they got. They would wait to answer the millions of questions until later. Summer vacation was first and foremost in their thoughts right now.

When the two managed to get through Isshin downstairs, and into Ichigo's room, they received another surprise. Anju was curled up on Ichigo's bed, fast asleep.

"What should we do? I mean, do we wake her? It's the middle of the day…" Rukia was concerned, but Ichigo didn't really care all that much. Rather, he didn't let his care show.

"I'll wake her up." He moved to the bed and ran a solid hand along the little girl's arm. "Hey kiddo, wake up." She responded in seconds, slapping his hand away and muttering something incoherent.

"Ichigo, don't be so insensitive. She looks exhausted." Rukia recognized the dark circles present under the young girl's eyes. Had she been up all night working on her assignment? Anju moved and something flew out of her hand.

"What's that?" Ichigo was the first to grab the little envelope. "It's addressed to you." He handed the object to Rukia and went back to staring at Anju.

"I wonder what it…hey, it has the Kuchiki family seal on it." Rukia had received a letter like this a few times in the past, and always dreaded what they held. She popped open the fancy wax seal and opened the folded paper.

She saw 'cordially invited' and 'annual ball' and blanched. She hated the noble's annual ball. Every year, she had to get dressed up and walk around a fancy room with a bunch of people she didn't know or like. Instant dread sank into her system.

Ichigo turned his attention to her when he heard the rustle of paper stop. Her face was white, but turned red the longer she stared at the paper. "What's up?" She looked so dangerous, he was almost scared to ask.

Without a word, she shoved the offending paper at him, and he took it hesitantly. After reading the text, he looked up, confused. "Okay, so it's a ball. Whatever. Get dressed, prance around, come home. Simple, right?"

"No, it is defiantly not that simple." Rukia was pacing now, anger turned to anxiety. "I have to wear a_ gown_ and dance, and be polite to a bunch of rude nobles. And I have to have a _date_. Brother always makes one of his friends go with me, because I have no one." It was then that she stopped. A smile replaced her fretted look, and she beamed at Ichigo. "You. You!"

"Wait, what? What just happened?" Ichigo didn't like that look in her eyes. He knew that look. That look meant mischief was not long off.

"You can come with me! You can be my date! Oh, Ichigo," Rukia bounded toward the bed and grabbed Ichigo's hands in her own. Pleadingly, she asked, "will you go with me? Be my date?"

Ichigo had no desire to go to any kind of formal event, much less one that involved nobles, especially soul society's nobles. But he knew that he'd never allow Rukia to go with any other man, and couldn't deny those adorable eyes that seemed to be piercing him with daggers. "Okay, I'll go. But you have to coach me on how to act, and what to wear and stuff. I don't know anything about these kind of things you know."

"Deal." Rukia's relief came through in waves, and lightened Ichigo's mood in the process. "Now what do we do about her?" she asked, pointing to Anju.

"Let's just let her rest. You want to go do something?" Ichigo had no desire to wake Anju and risk his family coming up to make a scene.

"Like what?" Rukia was grateful that Ichigo had decided to let Anju sleep. She knew that his family would try to involve her in everything, ask her endless questions, and just plain annoy them all if they found out she was here.

"Whatever you want. We could go to the arcade, or get lunch, or anything really." He honestly didn't care what they did, as long as they were together. This new mentality had absorbed him over the past few weeks, and he noticed the change immediately. He enjoyed simply being in Rukia's presence. Even if they weren't actually _doing_ anything, he enjoyed her being there, doing nothing with him.

"How about a movie? It's too hot to do anything outside today." Rukia wandered over to the computer before receiving an answer. She booted it up, and tried to find the local theatre's website. "OOOH! Chappy the movie finally came out! Ichigo, can we go see it?"

Ichigo cringed. "I guess so, if you really must…"

"Just kidding." Ichigo, who'd been relaxed against the side of his bed, opened his eyes and stared at Rukia in curiosity. "I was just seeing if you'd go with me. There's not really a chappy movie." She smiled and went back to looking for a real movie to watch while Ichigo shook his head at her silliness.

After deciding on a movie and watering their little plant, the two ventured to the nearest theatre and basked in the air conditioning. Ichigo broke down and bought Rukia popcorn, even though he thoroughly opposed the movie industry's prices. He really couldn't refuse her anything.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the mall, trying to find something for the both of them to wear. Ichigo had found a decent shirt to go with his formal gear, and Rukia managed to try on every dress in the mall. Ichigo didn't mind though, because he never got to see her in _formal_ dresses. The images danced in his mind all evening, and invaded his dreams. Maybe this noble's ball wouldn't be so bad after all…


	26. Preparation

"So that's why I'm here

"So that's why I'm here." Ichigo sat cross-legged against his bed, a very melancholy look playing across his face.

"I'd be happy to help. I suppose we're keeping this a secret, right?" Anju was hardly any more excited than Ichigo at their current situation.

"Exactly. She can't know about this. It's far too embarrassing…" Ichigo had agreed to go with Rukia to the noble's ball, but realized afterwards that he didn't even know how to dance properly. He knew that he had gained the respect of most of soul society during his exploits there so far, and didn't want to lose that respect simply because he couldn't dance.

"No problem. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It'll be easy, really." Anju hated formal events as much as Rukia, and didn't want much to do with them. However, she knew that Ichigo would make a fool of himself if he went into the event without being prepared.

"So how are we going to do this? I mean, it's summer, so Rukia spends most of her time with me in my room." He had no idea how he could get rid of Rukia. He used to be able to just say 'get lost,' and she'd get mad and leave. But now that they were together, he knew that doing so would hurt her feelings.

"Hmm" Anju walked the length of the room, contemplating how to get away with secret dance lessons. "Got it. Give me minute, I need to make a call…" She stepped out of earshot and spent a few brief moments on the phone. An awkward smile played on her face when she returned. "Okay, here's the plan. Matsumoto has agreed to take Rukia out for an afternoon. She'll need a dress for the ball, and who better than Matsumoto to aid in shopping?"

"Are you sure Rukia will agree to that? I mean, Matsumoto isn't her favorite person, and shopping isn't something she really enjoys all that much." Ichigo tried to imagine Rukia being pulled around a mall, dozens of bags hanging off her shoulders, and from her hands. The image made him laugh.

"I'm sure she'll be okay with it. I can be very convincing when I need to be." Anju beamed a smile that radiated deviousness. Ichigo gulped, fearing exactly what the little girl was capable of. "Worry not, Ichigo. I'll take care of everything."

OOOOOOOOOO

"Careful, Bigfoot! My toes are already sore…" Anju winced as Ichigo stepped on her foot for the tenth time.

"Well maybe if you weren't a midget, I'd be able to avoid them." Ichigo had learned a few of the basics, but was having trouble with the rhythm.

"Jerk." Anju stomped one heel into Ichigo's foot, putting forth far more force than he imagined possible for such a small person.

"Ow! How am I supposed to dance if you break my foot?" He bodily picked the girl up and off of his now throbbing foot.

"What on earth is going on here?" The two froze at the sound of a familiar voice. Rukia stood in the doorway, bags of every color hanging from her arms, a look of incredulity on her face.

Ichigo stammered for a moment, but then recovered. "Anju was just…helping me with a project." It wasn't a lie, technically.

"Teaching you to dance?" So she'd heard the conversation. And he'd hoped to shock and amaze her with his skills at the ball…

"The jig's up Ichi. She knows, so now she can help you instead." Anju received curious looks from her two friends, and explained what she meant. "I'm too short, and have far too little experience with this to be of much help. Rukia's been to many more balls than I have, so she can teach you how to dance. Although," the little girl grinned and looked sadly at Rukia, "You might want to have steel toes on at first. I think Ichigo broke one of my toes…"

"Maybe if you were a better teacher, it wouldn't have happened." He snapped uncharacteristically quickly at the tiny child. She simply shrugged the offense off and took her high heels off.

"I leave you with your date, m'lady. Good luck." Anju scoffed, feeling sorry for Rukia, but still being amused by her predicament. With a smile, she hopped out the window and disappeared into the afternoon.

Ichigo watched her retreating form, not wanting to face Rukia yet. However, she wasn't so graceful as to allow him to have his brooding time. She stepped up beside him and slapped a hand down on his shoulder, frightening him. Her expression wasn't one of gloating, or amusement. Rather, she seemed to be excited.

"Anju's right, Ichigo. There's no need to feel embarrassed about asking to be taught to dance. It's not like many people are taught how to act around nobles in regular society." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'd be happy to teach you, if you like."

Ichigo was shocked. Had they really changed so much that she wouldn't take the open opportunity to make fun of him? To gloat and embarrass him further? No, as it seemed, she was the one who felt embarrassed, although Ichigo couldn't figure out why. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Alright. So, is now okay? I mean, I know it's summer, and we don't have much to do, but…" Ichigo could have made plans, expecting Rukia to have taken longer at the mall, and she didn't want to keep him from his human life any more than she already did.

"Now's fine." Ichigo couldn't believe how smoothly things were flowing, almost like there was someone guiding them. Conversation was easier with Rukia than it had ever been, and most of the time they didn't even need to speak. Simply being around one another was enjoyable enough.

"Okay, well first off, take those shoes off your feet." Ichigo did as she instructed as Rukia wandered to the closet and pulled out four small spastic discs. She threw them on the floor and grabbed a sharpie, using the ink to mark each disc with a different number. "Okay, so what you'll be expected to do is really simple. Come here, stand with your feet on 'one' and 'two.'" Rukia pointed to the discs on the floor and Ichigo did so without a question.

"Alright, so…oh yeah…we need music." Rukia tossed a mix cd into Ichigo's tiny boom box and set it to a familiar tune. "Now," She stepped up to him and blushed. "let me see your left hand." She felt a little awkward, but overcame the feeling as soon as Ichigo's hand fell into hers. "This hand goes at my waist." She directed the limb to its proper place and moved her right arm around his neck. "And the other hand goes in mine…" She felt his other hand come up, tracing a warm line from her hip, up the side of her torso, and along the under side of her arm, until it finally reached the proper place. Flustered she went on.

_You're toast and jam  
You're cotton candy_

_You're double rainbows _

_Beside a setting sun_

_You're wood burning outside  
There's a fire glowing  
You're sweet as green apples  
You must be the one_

Rukia began to direct him on where his feet were to go, using the dots as guides. He followed the progression of the numbers, falling into the ease of the movements. Within minutes, he had the proper rhythm, and forgot about his feet, focusing all his attention to Rukia. She was surprised that he'd learned so quickly, but happy at the new development. She felt a tug on her waist and instantly gave way, allowing Ichigo to pull her in as close as possible as the song changed.

_You are distracting me with that beauty_

_Leaving me wanting more  
Reminding me of my duty  
To lock these eyes to yours_

_And I've never known a love so true_

_And I want to see all of you  
Where green meets red, and red meets blue_

_I want to see all of you, all of you, all of…you_

Ichigo's hand tightened around Rukia's as continued swaying. "What?" Rukia whispered at his inaudible laugh.

"It's just that…well, you fit. Even though we're of such different height, you fit against me like this perfectly. Every divot, hollow point, every groove is filled by some part of you. It's fascinating…" He trailed off, not even sure if he'd described what he felt properly. But Rukia seemed to understand, and mirrored his enthusiasm. The song ended, and they parted reluctantly.

"Well, you seem to have a firm grasp on how to dance. That was far easier than I thought it would be." Rukia really was surprised. It had taken many, many sessions with a professional her brother had hired for her to learn a vague notion of proper dance etiquette.

"Thanks for helping me, Rukia." He granted her a smile, allowing the furrow that usually kept his eyebrows in place to slide. "But why did you come back so early? Matsumoto was instructed to keep you away all day…" He figured that if their secret was out, Rukia might as well know the whole truth.

"We were supposed to be gone for a few hours more, but I got this really odd feeling…like I needed to be here. Matsumoto tried to get me to stay, but I felt like I had to come home. I dunno, I can't really explain it. It wasn't urgent, but like a _need_, more so than a desire." Rukia didn't understand the feeling herself. She was actually enjoying the day out at the mall with a friend.

"Well, at least show me what you bought. Hopefully some real clothes, so you can stop wearing Yuzu's…" Ichigo had been washing so much more laundry since Rukia showed up. He had to wash his own clothes, then Yuzu's stolen clothes that Rukia wore when not in her school uniform.

Rukia went through most of the bags quickly, showing her one man audience an array of dresses, shirts, pants, and a few pairs of shoes that she'd bought. Ichigo approved of every purchase, and was already planning a few non-cheesy complements in his head for when she wore his favorites. He barely noticed when one bag went unopened.

"What about that?" He inquired about the bag, and she immediately picked it up, hanging it delicately in the closet.

"That one you don't get to see until the ball." She giggled at his goofy expression and decided to comfort him so he wouldn't see fit to peek. She climbed onto his lap and gave him a stern look. "Please don't go digging and ruin my surprise. You'll get to see it in a couple days." She narrowed her eyes for effect.

"Hmm," With a simple syllable, she could tell that his tone was now turning devious. "And what if I peek?" He raised a single eyebrow, any hint of a furrow gone from his expression.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh? Wouldn't I… ? You know full well that I would." Her face turned red, both with a blush, and in mock anger. But it disappeared in an instant. She had a plan, and just hoped that she was daring enough to go through with it.

"Indeed, you would. However, such a dastardly deed takes concentration. And" She whispered, leaning in, pressing her cheek against his, "I doubt you can muster that much decisiveness with me," she breathed in his ear, "doing things like this." She passed along his cheek and kissed his ear lobe. Judging by the shudder that ran through him, and how his hands tightened on her thighs, he liked the action. Rukia steadied herself, and inhaled right beside his ear. The smell of Ichigo's spicy aroma filled her senses, and she braved a further attack. Before she could tell herself not to, she let her jaw drop by fractions of an inch, and nibbled on the sensitive flesh.

His reaction was beyond satisfying. The tiniest of moans escaped his mouth, and Rukia couldn't help but laugh a little at the noise. Her giggle brought him back to his senses momentarily, and he said, "You're not playing fair…"

"Neither are you. Sending me out all day so you can secretly learn the art of dance. How on earth…" But she never got to finish the thought. Ichigo had tugged her back in a fluid motion in order to capture her lips with his. She smiled into his lips at first, still reveling in victory. But after a few moments, her passion grew to meet his, and she found herself barely able to control the path her mind took.

It was much to her surprise that she was not the only one whose mind had wandered. She hadn't even noticed it until after the fact, but Ichigo's hand had traveled up her thigh, over her tiny hip, paused briefly at her waist, and was hovering just above her ribs, poised for action. With a gentle motion, he lifted the hand and allowed a finger to grace across the fabric covering her breast.

She would have gasped, had there been any air in their melted mouths to inhale. For a split second, she pulled away, shocked at the sudden leap foreword. But it wasn't long enough for Ichigo to even notice, and she arched her back, silently giving him permission to do what she'd only dreamed of.

Ichigo slowed the kiss, concentrating more on the feel of her against his palm. After exploring only briefly, he returned his wandering hand to Rukia's waist and took a breath, attempting to calm himself down. Rukia did the same, and leaned into him, not even slightly embarrassed at what she'd just allowed to take place.

Well, okay, maybe a little.

"Thank you…" Ichigo's voice was a kind whisper.

"For what? Letting you touch my boob?" Rukia scoffed, attempting to throw off some of the embarrassment she felt. "It hardly matters. They're of little importance." The superior tone melted away as she spoke, leaving only vulnerability in her voice. Ichigo noticed the change.

"It's no big deal. I won't if you don't want me to." His attempt to placate her worked, and she relaxed fully into his chest. "Though I must admit, they are of far greater importance to me than they seem to be to you. Fascinating, really…" he trailed off, his mind going almost silent. "You got me. Your plan worked, woman. I won't go near the dress until you let me see you in it."


	27. Theory

"Do you have everything

"Do you have everything?" Ichigo tilted his head to the side, curious as to why Rukia needed so little for such a big event.

"Yeah, this is it. You ready to go?" Rukia was uncharacteristically nervous. Her fidgeting hadn't gone unnoticed by Ichigo.

"I am. But you don't seem to be." He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know that I'm not an expert in these things, but I promise you, everything is going to be okay. And if anyone so much as looks at you funny, their life is forfeit." Ichigo hated seeing Rukia like this, and would do anything to help.

Rukia's mood lightened with every word of encouragement. "Thank you, Ichigo. You have no idea how much that helps." She took a deep breath, grabbed her dress still inside its bag, and turned to her companion. "Okay, let's go." Her smile reflected confidence at last, and Ichigo nodded, signaling her to open a gate to soul society.

Minutes later they were flying toward the Kuchiki house, hand in hand. They would have gone straight through if a tiny child hadn't come flying at them at top speed.

"Rukiaaaa!" Ichigo felt Rukia's hand release his before he even noticed Anju. She'd flown in so fast that Rukia had been knocked backwards and out of his grip. By the time he turned to see what was going on, Anju had Rukia in a vice grip, and was squealing in delight. Within seconds, she'd turned her attention to Ichigo and gave him the same treatment. "Welcome home!"

Rukia had just noticed that Anju was no longer clinging to her, when the girl was already flying off in the direction of the fifth squad headquarters. She glanced over at Ichigo with a shocked face, and received the same look in return. "What on earth was that about?" she asked, almost to herself.

"No idea." Ichigo decided not to think on the issue for now, and grabbed Rukia's hand once again to head toward their original destination.

OOO

Rukia paced in her room, half-ready for the upcoming ball. Her hair was pulled up into a swirly bun, tiny pieces too short to reach falling down in front of her ears. For the first time in a long while, she was wearing a small amount of makeup. Her nails remained unpainted, though her assistant had insisted upon wrangling them into shape. Anju sat nearby, watching her friend grow in nervousness.

"Rukia, what are you worried about?" She absolutely hated seeing Rukia like this.

"Ichigo…he doesn't know what he's getting into. I mean, _I_ was the one who wanted him to come, but…" Rukia paused, lacking the words to describe her fears. "These people…you know as well as I do how _horrible_ the nobles are. They're so snooty, and irritating. I'm worried that Ichigo might lose his temper." Rukia thought back to the many times that people had been able to purposefully pull a response out of Ichigo.

"I suppose your fears are justified. I mean, he does have a temper. But put some faith in him. He's here for you, after all. I'm sure he'll keep your best interest at heart." And Anju knew exactly what she had to do. She'd just have to tell Ichigo what Rukia was afraid of, and that he'd best mind his manners.

"Thanks Anju. It's so great to have your support." Rukia hugged the little girl with all her strength. Somehow, Anju had the ability to calm her better than any drug. She wondered about the strange connection, but quickly decided that she had many more pressing things to think about. Glancing at the clock, she sat down and began to prepare herself for the trials ahead.

A few doors down, Ichigo sat bored in his temporary room. Though he had qualms about the ball, he wasn't one to let such things really bother him. More than anything, he wanted to just get it over with. The first week of his summer had been tainted by this event, and he vowed to make up for the lost time by doing something special with Rukia soon.

A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts, and he signaled for the knocker to come in. Anju popped her head in and beamed at him. She was far calmer than she had been earlier, but still overly happy compared to her normal self. He waved her in and she came to sit beside him.

"Mission successful. I found out what was bothering Rukia." She crossed her legs and got more comfortable. "She's worried you're going to let those people get to you. I know you've been around nobles before, but never like this. They're like Tasmanian devils. Get a bunch of them together, and chaos ensues. Each family thinks they're better than the others, and they let one another know it." She stood and wandered around the room, using gestures to enunciate her story.

"They strut around, holding their heads up, insulting one another in private. They bring up past events, anything they can to use as evidence for their case. Back and forth they go, until someone else comes along and couples switch, repeating the same scene over and over…" she used a hand, waving it in a circle to go with her tale.

"So what I'm trying to say is that you need to be prepared. Nasty things could be said, and I know how you are. If someone insults Rukia, you'll get angry and say things that might not need to be said." Ichigo glared at Anju, mostly because what she had said was true. "Hey, I'm only trying to warn you, okay? Just try to keep in mind the fact that these people are the way they are. They have always done this, and they'll continue doing this until the end of time. The only thing we can do is ignore them and try to come out of this with our sanity."

Something bit at the back of Ichigo's mind. He was quite sure that, only seconds ago, he had been determined to defend Rukia to whomever came near insulting them. But now, his perspective was changing by some outside force, and he felt very agreeable. "Alright. But promise to stay close. I'm going to need your support through this."

"Absolutely. I trust you, but you'll need all the help you can get. Anyhoo," Anju's serious mood disappeared immediately, "I've got to get ready." She twirls over to the door and peeks back from behind her hair. "You might want to visit her. She's in her room." And with that, she disappeared, leaving nothing but an idea and a giggle behind.

Ichigo didn't even need to think on the idea. He hopped off the bed and made it down the hall in seconds. He only hesitated once he made it to her door. Once, twice, he knocked. Rukia pulled the door open a hair, and her pale face warmed considerably at the sight of him. She motioned him inside and shut the door behind her.

He hadn't taken two steps when he was overtaken by a pair of arms. Rukia had moved at lightning speed, and found his embrace before he even noticed. She squeezed him around the waist, burying her face against his chest. He responded immediately, knowing that she needed him.

"You don't have to worry. I'm going to be on my best behavior." He rubbed a thumb into her back, releasing the tension held there.

"Distract me." She mumbled into his chest. He had an idea on what to do, but figured that it wouldn't end with her hair remaining fixed. Instead, he decided on a story. He led Rukia over to her bed and sat down with her.

"Okay. Um, well how about a theory of mine? It requires some concentration. Is that okay?" She nodded her consent, and he continued. "When I was little, my mother used to tell me a bed-time story about a very special child. People called her "god's most beloved daughter" because she had a gift." Rukia relaxed against his side, and he realized that the distraction was working.

"When she was born, everyone thought she was just average. But as she grew, people started to notice odd coincidences. The little girl gained the approval of all who met her, even as a baby. Her parents began to see a pattern. Whenever the child needed something, she got it, even if it was unlikely. Speculation started that the girl was abnormal. That she might be possessed, or a demon. But her parents found the truth." Rukia had recovered from her anxiety, and was now sitting in front of Ichigo, entirely concentrated on the story.

"The child had the power of will. She had the ability to bring things into being. And I'm not talking about things just popping up because she wants them to. If she wants a bag of chips, she'll have to get up and walk to the kitchen to get them herself. The power of will is much more complicated than that. What it means, is that when the child has a true need for something, she's able to adjust the world around her to suit that need. For instance, say her life was in danger; she could adjust the perspective of the one who was endangering her, and thus escape the threat." Rukia's eyes were getting wider and wider as the story went on. Something was eerily familiar about this story.

She didn't have time to voice her concerns. Anju knocked at the door, and said, "Ten minutes til we need to leave! Get your dress on and meet me out front!"

Rukia's revelation would have to wait until later. She received a kiss from Ichigo before he left to put on his own fancy clothes. Putting her thoughts aside, she slipped on her dress, and gave herself one last once-over.


	28. Ball brawl

**At last, another chapter. I think i'm going to be updating about once a week now since school has started. Ah, college. i love/hate it so. Coming up next, a surprise! Or two...**

**Thanks to all my loyal readers, and reviewers. You guys make my day!**

OOOOOOOOOO

The first thing Ichigo noticed when the door opened was that Rukia had regained all of her usual confidence. Her expression was calm, and she had an uncaring air about her. The second thing he noticed was her dress. For a moment, he thought that it was just an extension of her eyes. The hues matched so well that it could have been. As he moved his gaze to shake the confusion, he took in the entire picture.

A thin satin covered Rukia's creamy skin from chest to the floor. Two tiny straps draped over her shoulders and crossed over her upper back, connecting with the edges bordering her back, and crossing once again near the end of the deep scoop at her lower back. Ichigo swore that every color he'd ever seen in Rukia's eyes was mixed into the dress in harmony. He had to physically force his jaw to stay in place to prevent himself from looking like a loon. Rukia didn't seem to mind the attention though, and did a little twirl to enhance the effect. This was more than confidence. All of the thoughts she'd had since receiving the invitation were washed away. Any dread, fear, or discomfort was gone with her normal clothes. She felt downright empowered. Her mood was enhanced even more when she saw Ichigo all dressed up.

She'd seen it once before. He'd worn somewhat dressy clothes to a funeral sometime last year. But even then, he wasn't really _fancy_ like he was now. The entire outfit, suit and shiny shoes, pulled together flawlessly. Rukia wondered for a brief moment where his tie was, but had her unasked question answered. Ichigo pulled a wiggly scrap of fabric from behind his back and gazed awkwardly to the side. "Please tell me you know how to tie this thing…" Grumpiness melted into his tone, and Rukia could feel a distinct difference in his attitude. Ever since Anju had left, she'd been feeling unusual as well. More like her old self, almost. Like the Rukia she had been before she and Ichigo had gotten into their current relationship. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Before she could rein it in, her cockiness shone through. "All nobles know how to tie ties" His sheepish smile had awakened something inside of her, something she hadn't felt for weeks. Was this really how she used to talk? She hardly remembered. Shrugging the feeling off, she grabbed the tie and forcefully twirled the fabric around his neck, allowing a tiny scowl. He swatted her hands away and grabbed at the ends.

"Fine, I can do it myself." But his hands were the one being slapped away now. He attempted to regain control but received a slap on the side of the head.

"Fool. I know you can't do your own tie."

"I quit focusing on you for five minutes and look where you end up!" Anju's voice ran through the pair like a positive current. As soon as she'd finished her statement, Ichigo's hands dropped, his fists becoming gentle hip warmers against Rukia's tiny bones. His scowl disappeared, replaced by concern and confusion. Likewise, Rukia's shoulders relaxed back into place, and she looked at Anju with shame. "What's going on? You both look like you shot someone dead in the street."

Rukia's mouth fell open, but nothing came out. Anju uncrossed her arms and decided that she wasn't getting any answers right now. "Well, just get that tie done. It's time to leave." Rukia nodded in submission, and maneuvered the complicated path of the formal tying process. Her hands ended their expedition with a momentary trek across Ichigo's neck and chest, eventually falling to his hands while Anju rolled her eyes in the background. "Bipolar, much?" she whispered to herself. "Alright, come on." She started off toward the front of the house, but was stopped in her progress by another hell butterfly.

She listened intently, nodded her head, and turned to her companions with a wrinkled nose. "Apparently I have to accompany uncle until we're inside the event. Not everyone knows about me just yet, so my invitation was an extension of uncle's. Ah, well, I'll see you guys there. Get a move on. Don't want to give anyone an actual reason to ridicule you." She waved and shot off toward the north wing of the house.

Rukia turned to Ichigo, questions running through her eyes. "We'll talk about it later," Ichigo assured her. She nodded and led him in the direction of the ball. They traveled in peace until coming upon a friendly face.

"Good evening, captain." Rukia was surprised to see Ukitake up on a roof far from his division.

"Ah, hello you two. On your way to the noble's ball?" The white-haired man stood and dusted his robes off.

"Yes sir. But what are you doing up here?" Rukia looked around but saw no one in the near vicinity.

Ukitake laughed and gave a hearty smile. "Every year Shunsui and I sit up here and watch the fireworks that the noble set off just after sunset. It's become something of a tradition. I believe Amagai is joining us this year as well."

"You didn't tell me there would be fireworks. This might be fun after all." Ichigo scoffed. He decided for himself that the fireworks were probably the best part of the entire event.

"Well, we've got to get going. Enjoy the show, capatain." Rukia bowed and led Ichigo off after he did the same.

OOOOOOOOOO

_This has got to be a joke._ Ichigo could not bring himself to believe that _this_ was how nobles lived. Every inch of the walls of the ball room were covered in intricately carved bamboo. The floor was a solid slab of some very fancy looking stone, waxed to perfection. Everyone in the room stood with straight backs, chins up, in fabrics that he assumed were top of the line, and more expensive than his house.

Even though he was entirely out of his element, Ichigo managed to mimic the attitudes of the nobles around him, and fit in somewhat. Rukia fell into a guise that he'd seen once or twice before. She acted aloof, superior, and entirely in control. She graced around the room, talking to many younger nobles. Every conversation went somewhere along the same lines.

The two would bow, and Rukia would introduce Ichigo to the stranger. The person would talk briefly about the winter war, and the role that Rukia played in it. They'd eye Ichigo, and then pretend to suddenly recognize that he was _the_ Ichigo Kurosaki. If the person was a girl, she'd bat her eyelashes at him. If the person was a boy, he'd act all tough and play his victory off as luck. It didn't matter how many times it happened, Ichigo always became agitated, and would mutter something insulting. Rukia, however, kept her calm, and used her knowledge of the noble world, and its gossip, to get back at whoever had insulted her date. The person would then try to make a rude retort, but would fail when Ichigo reinforced Rukia's statements. One particular conversation stood out in his mind.

"Good evening Rukia. I trust you're having a good time in the real world." A snooty girl around Rukia's age threw her blonde hair over her sharp shoulder, and eyed them both with contempt.

"Oh, hello Urui. Yes, everything in the real world is fine. Saving souls, helping people, learning about life and whatnot. Very important work." Rukia held her head up higher as she answered.

"I see. And you must be Ichigo Kurosaki. I've heard so much about you." She did just like all the others, batting her lashes, giving him a smirk. When he ignored her advances, she added, "What, with your breaking into soul society numerous times, causing uproar, who hasn't heard of you? Such wonderful luck you had in the Winter War. I can't imagine how you managed it." A giggle followed her insult, infuriating Rukia.

"He's just good like that. Far better than that demented brother of yours. I heard about his arrest. Selling orangutans on the black market, eh? Tisk tisk. Such a shame to the family." Rukia shook her head and placed a finger on her chin, pouting her lips slightly.

It was at this point when Ichigo lost track of the conversation. The second Rukia scrunched her lips up, he got terribly distracted. The fact that she was coming to his defense, and being so aggressive, that he could not help but feel a surge of pride, and love. When Urui walked off, he was still staring at Rukia. She met his intense gaze for only a moment.

"Want to dance?" His voice sounded cloudy, but entirely Ichigo-like all the same. Rukia nodded a yes and allowed herself to be led out onto the dance floor. With a strong arm, he pulled Rukia into himself and grabbed her hand. He listened to the music and established a decent rhythm. He managed to meander over toward the edge of the room, taking her away from the other dancers. Once within a few steps of an empty balcony, he swept her up and carried her in dancing position through the door and around the corner, setting her down only once they reached the shadows. She protested only briefly before he caught her lips with his own in a mind bogglingly sweet kiss.

"What was that for?" She didn't mind in the slightest, but wondered where the surge of affection had come from.

"I just felt the need to. You're far more irresistible than you realize, especially when you act like you were in there." He left a tiny kiss on her temple and pulled her in close once more, resuming their dance, though he didn't follow the rhythm of the music playing inside. Ichigo lost track of how long they'd been gone.

A flutter of cloth shook them out of their reverie. In the nearby doorway stood a tall, dark figure, arms crossed. Before they were even able to identify him, a second figure dropped from above. Clad in an elegant green dress that closely matched the color of her zanpactou, Anju stood defensively between her future parents and uncle.

"Ah, there you are, uncle. I heard you were leaving and came to see you off." She smiled innocently, her hands clasped behind her back. Rukia pulled away from Ichigo, trying to lessen the severity of her brother's inevitable anger.

"Indeed. I shall be leaving now." Byakuya paused, and his eyes drifted to Rukia. Accusation and anger fumed on his face, but he decided not to do anything about the situation for the moment. "Rukia, make sure Anju gets home safely. And vice versa…" his last statement was whispered so that only Anju could hear. Hopefully, she would ensure that Kurosaki would act appropriately.

"Goodnight, uncle. See you tomorrow morning!" Anju waved to her uncle's retreating back, a fake smile still plastered on her face. Once she was absolutely sure that he was gone, she turned around and glared at her friends. "Please, for my sanity, _try_ to be more discreet when near uncle. I fear his temper hasn't quite cooled enough to allow for such tirades. Are you two ready to head home?"

"Yeah, I think we've had enough of this nonsense for tonight." Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand and followed Anju around the side of the building, attempting to avoid any further meetings with the partygoers.

"More like enough for a century. I'd be perfectly happy if I never had to go to one of these things again." Rukia was exhausted, but knew that more needed to be accomplished before she could go to bed. She desperately needed to talk to Ichigo about the story he'd told her earlier. On the way home, she went over in her mind how best to begin such a conversation and what exactly she wanted to say.

This would be interesting.


	29. Found

Alright everyone

Due to the stupid hurricane Gustav, I have been forced to evacuate to Austin along with my parents, boyfriend, dog, and rat. Took us 8 hours to do a 4 ½ hour drive due to massive amounts of traffic.

Apparently, gustav is only a category 1 and it missed our area. So all this for nothing.

However, I was able to show my boyfriend around Austin for two days. Conan's pizza, Toy Joy, HEB central market, the Buddhist temple, half-price books, etc etc. He enjoyed it thoroughly.

The only downer is that we had to be with my parents, and three aunts (and all 6 of our dogs). The thing with my aunts is, when they all get together, they gang up on me and say mean things, and treat me like I'm 5. Being 20, I'm sick of this kind of treatment, so I'm beyond ready to go home. My boy and I slept on a blow up mattress for the past few nights, but tonight we have a hotel room. My rat is very happy to be let out since he's been cooped up for days. Extra happy, in fact, because he's got a grape and is devouring it like the spoiled boy he is.

So, on to the new chapter which I am writing now instead of doing my research essay for history. Hoobah. As far as i'm concerned, this is a vacation…evacuation or not.

Also, as a side note, I would like to dedicate this chapter to the town of Shiro, Texas. We passed through there while evacuating, and I thought it was freakin awesome to name a town Shiro. It reminded me of Toshiro Hitsugaya. Of course, there was also a town called "Point blank" and another called "Cut n Shoot"

Freakin Texas

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Are you serious?"

Atsuko picked up the two cups from Rukia's table and made a calculated beep. "Yes, the word came first thing this morning. Had you not noticed Anju's excitement?"

Rukia thought back to the day she'd just lived. Anju had been explosively happy when they'd arrived, and though she was usually happy, she'd been extra excited throughout the entire day. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I thought something was different. But I had no idea that this was the reason."

Rukia had just been informed that Captain Kuran, Anju's best friend from the future, had woken up early that morning. Her future self sent word back through Atsuko, and _that_ was the reason for Anju's unusual behavior. Ichigo sat motionless on the floor, not really paying attention. "Thank you for letting us know, Atsuko." The doll bowed and left the room with the remainder of the dishes.

Rukia remained seated on her bed, unsure of what to say next. She'd been going through various ways to start this conversation, but had yet to come up with much of anything. She was spared having to do so for the moment, as Ichigo finally got up and drug her gently across the room. With the tap of a finger, music wove out of the cd player and into the room.

"We were interrupted earlier. Spent all that time learning how to dance, might as well make use of it." Concern shrouded his tone, and Rukia knew that he was struggling with the same thoughts as she was.

The two danced for a moment before Ichigo found his voice. "Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that you're smart?" The question sounded odd, but Rukia responded in the best way she could.

"Smart doesn't even begin to cover it." She heard a laugh rumble deep in his chest, and allowed a smile to creep up on her face. "Though, I would like to know why I'm smart this time."

"You caught the meaning in my story. I didn't have to explain anything, and you still understood what I was getting at." Seriousness crept into his voice and he tightened his grip on Rukia.

"That Anju seems an awful lot like God's most beloved daughter? Yeah, I thought about that the second you mentioned it. She does seem to fit." Rukia had made the association of odd things happening around the little girl, but didn't have an explanation of how they all connected.

"The second she appeared here, you accepted her as your own. Knowing her, she was probably internally praying that we'd be okay with her. She very well could have willed us into liking her." Ichigo still figured that he'd have liked her, even if she wasn't his future daughter.

"And when we were in the woods, our riatsu's relocated themselves minus our bodies. She was trying to hide us from my brother, so maybe she willed that to happen?" It sounded implausible, but Rukia was used to odder things happening.

"Hmm. And when we fought earler? She said she'd stopped thinking about us for a few minutes…so maybe she's been concentrating on us since she's been here. I mean, she's used to the two of us being married and lovey-dovey, so she was probably projecting that on us." That thought unsettled Ichigo somewhat. He didn't want to believe that the only reason he and Rukia had gotten together, was because of some odd voodoo the little girl had accidentally pulled on them.

"Do you think she knows about it? I mean, do you think she does these things on purpose?" Rukia hoped that she didn't know about this ability. Things like this tended to come with large amounts of responsibility, not to mention danger. If people found out about her, she'd be in trouble.

"I doubt it. Her parents…I mean, us in the future…might know about it. If we were able to figure it out in less than a month, than surely they know." Why were things so complicated?

By now, Ichigo was only managing to move his feet a little, merely swaying to the music. He'd only meant to say what he'd already said, so what was there left to say?

"I think I'm going to go take a bath." Rukia pulled away from the embrace and gave a questioning look to Ichigo. "What about you?"

"Sounds good. But you'll have to show me where the men's bath is." The sheepish look was back on his face, and he ran one hand through the back of his hair.

He got a nod in reply, found his things, and followed Rukia out the door.

OOOO

Something about a giant pool of warm, clean water just made Rukia so happy. Every little thing that had worried her during the day melted off. And anything that _didn't_ was soon ground off by her tough scrubby. The familiarity didn't hurt either. She'd been taking baths in this room for almost fifty years, and never got tired of it. It hadn't changed in all that time, and she appreciated that.

She'd been in the bath for almost half an hour now, and was beginning to get wrinkly. She poked absentmindedly at the deformed skin on the toe of her left foot, amused at the power of water. Not two seconds later, she noticed an out of place sound. She looked in the direction of the scraping and saw a shiny green ribbon, the color of Anju's sword, hanging from a door. She attempted to blink the oddity out of her vision, but soon realized that it was as real as the water she was sitting in.

Grabbing the towel wrapped around her for security, she wandered over to the door and pulled on the ribbon. Much to her surprise, something pulled back. The thing had the same idea as she did, and in less than a second the door was open. From the other side, Ichigo stared at her, still immersed in his own bath. Reflexively, Rukia grabbed the door and swung it shut, barely believing what had just happened.

A moment passed in silence before Ichigo knocked. Realizing that she was, in fact, covered, Rukia pulled the door back a little and poked her head through. Ichigo had the most amused look on his face, and a hand holding his own towel around his waist. His relaxed demeanor wore off on her, and she decided that she might as well just jump on through the door. He made a motion to stop her, but ended up helping her through the gateway.

Ichigo opened his arms, preparing to catch Rukia as she came through the doorway. Instead of her nearly naked form, he caught nothing but air. For a moment, he stood there, blinking repeatedly. Then he realized the terrifying truth: Rukia was gone. He looked around himself, his bath, and even into the ladies' bath, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Praying that no other women would come into the bath, he hopped across the barrier, finding darkness instead of the solid ground. With a gasp, he fell.

OOOO

Sleep was so very comforting. The peace of her dreamscape was almost too overwhelming for Rukia at times. However, unconsciousness held no value at the current moment. Something hard poked up against Rukia's back, causing her to roll over. Instead of relief, she found more rough, spiky edges. Realizing that something was horribly wrong, she opened her eyes.

Light paralyzed her eyes instantly. Rukia groaned and pulled one hand in front of her face. She managed to sit up, and began surveying her surroundings. To her left, a field of sunflowers spread out for an eternity. To her right, a giant cushion the size of a house lay at the end of a very long ladder, surrounded by a rough barrier of rocks to hold it in place. _So that's what I was laying on._

Her eyes followed the ladder up, and she recognized the door she'd just tried to go through at the top. _How on earth…_her thoughts were interrupted by the most unlikely of sounds. Music was playing somewhere relatively nearby, most likely on the other side of the sunflowers. Upon standing, Rukia dusted her self off and tried to figure out where to go. Climbing up the ladder was certainly an option. Surely Ichigo was wondering what had become of her. But this place was surreal, and quite possibly someone's closely guarded secret. Perhaps she should explore?

A second sound joined the music. Someone was screaming, but she could not tell who, or from where they came. The sound stopped with a thump, and a gust of wind chilled her entire body. It was then that she realized she'd lost her towel somewhere in the process of falling. In desperation, she looked around, trying to find it, or at least something to cover herself. A nearby bush provided cover, and enough calm for Rukia to assess the situation.

In the giant cushion she'd seen moments ago, something moved. From near the middle, a groove flowed out toward the edge. From within the groove, a familiar figure rolled out and onto the nearby ground where she'd been only seconds before. Ichigo's naked body lay face-down in the dirt, and Rukia had to stifle a gasp. That was as far as her self-control extended, however, and she was unable to pull her gaze away from Ichigo's gorgeous body.

She stay there, silent and staring, until something shook her out of her reverie. Ichigo's towel had decided to join him at last, floating down from the sky. It landed closer to her, and Rukia immediately reached out to grab it. Once it was firmly wrapped around her body, she wandered out to where Ichigo lay.

She needed to tap him only once against the shoulder to wake him completely. He jumped up, alarmed, and ready to take on anything. When he saw Rukia standing in front of him, he relaxed for a moment before ducking down into a huddle. He'd realized how very naked he was, and was attempting to cover what he could. But it was too late. Rukia had seen everything, and could do nothing more but stand in shock, eyes refusing to blink.

"Where is my towel?" he asked, looking up with a scarlet face.

"Here" Rukia pointed to the cloth that she had around her body.

"Thief. What am I supposed to do?" He eyed her with amusement, only partially angry.

Rukia looked around, and noticed what appeared to be a wardrobe sitting at the beginning of a slightly worn path. She wandered over and opened the door. Inside resided a few sets of shinigami robes, all fit for a very small person. And not just Rukia small. Absolutely tiny, almost child-sized. The only other thing present was a very red silk robe. Deciding that she'd never get Ichigo in such a thing, she grabbed it and went behind the dresser to change into it. She brought Ichigo the towel and tried to ignore the way he was looking at her. The only word she could find to describe the look in his eyes was _hunger_.

He waited for her to turn around before securing the towel around his waist. It would have to do.

"So where exactly are we?" Ichigo had recovered from his embarrassment, and was determined not to bring up the subject of his nakedness.

"I have no idea. But from the looks of it, we're below the baths." Rukia had her theories, each as unlikely as the next. She watched Ichigo look up toward the ceiling like she had earlier, and confusion crossed his face.

"Another dimension?" that was the first thing that came to mind. He could see the doorway through which he had fallen. He was sure that the floor under which the door hung had been solid. But this did explain why Rukia had disappeared in mid-air.

"It looks like it. And do you feel that riatsu?" Rukia had noticed a spike in someone's riatsu, though she didn't recognize it.

"Yeah. Kind of familiar. What do you propose we do about it?" Ichigo finished brushing the dirt from his exposed skin and eyed Rukia suspiciously.

"Well, there's a path right there. How about we start by following it?" The cool air of the plains blew over her again, and she failed to notice the stiffening state of her nipples. Ichigo did, however, and forced himself to look away. That silk would be his undoing, he just knew it.

Forcing himself to talk again, Ichigo managed to nod and followed Rukia off toward the tiny path through the field of sunflowers.


	30. A promise

So I'd like to apologize for my absence. Once again, I was forced from my home to get out of the way of hurricane Ike. The entire story can be found in my myspace blog at /kaydafry

It was interesting. We evacuated up to Toledo bend and lost power for 5 days. One day after we got power back, we came home to no power. I barely slept last night. It was FAR too dark. But my boyfriend has power at his house, so I'm over here stealing it, and someone's internet. I daren't ask whose.

I had written this chapter the day we evacuated. It's been sitting in my lifeless computer for a whole week, just waiting for me to find internet. Joy.

OOO

The path wandered on through the field, sunflowers lining both sides. After a few moments, a clearing overtook them. With caution, they proceeded around the edge and came across a very out of place house. With nothing more than a look at one another, the pair crept toward an open window on the nearest face of the building.

Within the room, Anju stood facing away, her attention entirely focused on a large canvas. In her hand resided a flat plastic plate covered in various colors. Every few moments, she would take a large brush, dip it in various colors, and sweep it over the canvas. Drips fell freely off of the brush as it traversed the distance, but Anju didn't seem to care. Her dress was already covered with paint, almost as if it had once been her canvas.

The spying parents didn't know exactly what to think. They had no idea what this place was doing here, and even less of an idea what Anju was doing in it. Neither had the time to begin theorizing, however. A familiar sound drug their attention away, and toward the left side of the room. Two beeps rang out, followed by a soft melody. Atsuko poked a button on her stomach and a familiar hologram appeared.

"Anju, darling! We have a surprise for you!" The future Rukia stood in the room in hologram form, hands clasped behind her back. The biggest smile any had ever witness was forming on her face, and Anju rushed over to greet her mother.

"Mama!" the tiny child barely paid any attention to where she set her paint down before rushing to the hologram. "I didn't think I'd get to talk to you for a few more days!"

"I know darling, but we've been propositioned into opening the communicator." With these words, the future Rukia moved out of view, and a new figure took her place.

"Hey there, Juju. Long time no see." A boy about the same age as Captain Hitsugaya stood tall, practically beaming as he spoke. Rukia immediately recognized him as the same boy in the picture on Anju's dresser. She was shaken out of her thoughts by the silence that ensued.

In the room, Anju stood rigid, shocked into silence. She blinked, twitched her fingers, and calculated the probability of such an event happening. The odds were so far against it, she had to physically rub her eyes check the gauges on the computer to ensure that what she was seeing was real. After having assured herself that she wasn't dreaming, nor simply going mad, she sat down in front of the still waiting hologram and stared up at him.

"Satisfied? I'm quite real, you know." The boy sat down as well and beamed a smile at Anju.

"I can hardly be sure these days." She paused to reflect his smile. "Are you okay?" She hid her concern behind admiration, only allowing a sliver to shine through with her words.

Kuran scoffed, youthful confidence lending itself to his demeanor. "Of course I am. Like I could ever be held down for long." He crossed his arms and lifted his chin.

Anju warmed up the longer she spent with Kuran. The crease on her brow relaxed, her eyes darkened, and her posture slumped into a more comfortable position. "I'm glad. Dunno what I'd have done if…." She couldn't continue. The very thought of not having Kuran around made her nauseous.

"Don't be silly. The universe would never allow that to happen." Ichigo recognized a little bit of himself in the young boy. "You know better than anyone that you're the luckiest girl to ever exist. Can't have you going without your best friend, now can we?"

"I'd like to hope not." Anju froze. She could swear that she was able to feel Kuran's hand on her face. But he was a hologram…so that was impossible. She looked up to force the illusion from her brain. What she found could only be described as a phenomenon.

Kuran's hand had in fact reached out to touch Anju. He knew that he would most likely go right through her, but couldn't help but try. Habits ran so terribly deep. When his hand landed on a solid surface, he assumed that it was muscle memory, or wishful thinking at the most. But when he chanced a look, he found that he was actually touching Anju's real face. His smile vanished, replaced by shock. Immediately, he pulled the limb away and checked the room around him to make sure he was alone.

When both he and Anju had assured their solitude, they both reached out, wordless with confusion and anxiety. Their hands met and retracted with caution. After regaining their composure, both reached foreword again and linked fingers.

"Juju, can you feel my hand?" Kuran hoped beyond hope that she could. If such things were possible…no he couldn't let himself think that way. Not just yet, at least.

"Yeah. And I assume you can feel mine?"

"I can. What does this mean?" He had an idea, but didn't dare speak it now.

"What does any of it mean?" Anju relaxed once again. "I say we chock it up to my ability to get exactly what I most want. It definitely qualifies for the 'unexplained phenomenon' category of random things that happen to me. I can't complain, though. It's nice to be able to feel that you're real." She scooted closer to her friend.

"Yeah, it is. At first I couldn't believe that you were gone. I didn't want to believe it. It's not like I have much to do without you around…" His eyes wandered up, left, and lingered on the floor before landing back on Anju's face. "You took all the fun and exploration with you. Now I'm gonna have to actually do my paper work…" he gave an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry about that. I didn't really have much of a choice. If it had been up to me, I'd have stayed until you got better." She squeezed Kuran's hand and smiled with even more warmth.

"I know. But things are the way they have to be. Just promise to keep me in the loop, and we'll be fine." He pulled Anju into a clumsy child-like hug.

"I promise. Just make sure to watch over my parents, will ya? I hate to think of what they're like without me…" Anju let out a happy giggle, an odd picture of two lost fish flopping around on dry land in her head.

"I'll make sure they don't go crazy. It won't be easy though. That dad of yours is already pretty out of it."

"He's starting to get more like grandpa all the time." The similarities were few, but the ones that matched were strengthening.

Kuran let go of Anju's hand as someone walked into his room. The future Rukia was back to end the reunion. It was rather late, and the 4th squad had requested that Kuran return to his room. After a teary goodbye, the transmission ended, and Anju retreated from her little house.

Rukia and Ichigo were still watching from the window of the house. They waited until Anju climbed back up the ladder and closed the door to her portal before wandering around to the front of the house.

"What exactly do you intend to do?" Rukia had a feeling about what Ichigo was going to try, but didn't feel like telling him that she wanted the same thing.

"We're checking things out. It's not like I'm going to break anything." Ichigo wiggled the door knob and the door opened. "She didn't even lock it."

"Well it's not like anyone else knows about this place, so why would she?" Rukia wanted to explore this secret place just as much as Ichigo did, but she'd never admit that to him.

"I guess you're right. Come on, lets check this place out."

As the two entered the room, they saw many characteristic pieces of Anju thrown around the room. Glowy stars donned the walls here too, and the color green was a constant theme. A new device had taken over the task of transmitting communications between the present and future, and this is what Ichigo's focus fell upon.

Before he could even give it a good once-over, the lights lit up again and the future Rukia appeared again in the little room.

"Oh, dear, I forgot to tell you…" The future Rukia realized that Anju was no longer present, and that she had a new audience. "Oh, well…shit." She adjusted her stance awkwardly before speaking again. "How did you two get in here?"

Ichigo and Rukia looked at one another, and silently decided that Rukia should be the one to talk to her future self. "We kind of…fell." She tried to find a better explanation when the future Rukia looked at her with raised eyebrows. "We were in the baths and both saw a green ribbon on the door between them. I guess we opened the door together and, in the process of trying to close it again, I think I slipped on some water and I fell in. Come to think of it, that water was probably from when Anju went down into the portal…" Her mind wandered back to the moment, and things started to make sense.

"And what about Ichigo?" The future Rukia chimed in, far calmer than either of her companions.

"I went looking for her when she disappeared. I guess I fell in too…" Rukia would have laughed at the sheepish look on Ichigo's face if they weren't in such an odd situation.

"I guess I should have known you would find us out. You are me after all. So I guess the question is, how much like me are you?" The philosophical oddness of the question confused Rukia. To clarify, the future Rukia said, "have you discovered that which you should have, considering the fact that you're me?" This didn't help any, but something clicked in the back of Rukia's mind.

"I'm still not with you, but you said 'discovered.' Something about that…" The present Rukia looked to Ichigo, who had a much more understanding look on his face.

"She means about Anju, don't you?" Ichigo inquired toward the future Rukia. Her meaning had been clear to him.

"I did. So I take it you know exactly what I'm talking about?"

"I believe so. Rukia, she means…I mean…the future you…you know what I meant, she's talking about the power of will." As convoluted a sentence as it was, Rukia understood.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. But, that means that you know, and that we were right." Things started clicking together in Rukia's brain, but a few pieces still didn't quite fit.

"Yes, my beloved daughter has a gift. We don't know too much about how it works, or why she is able to do what she can. But part of my reason in sending her there to you was to protect her." By the looks on their faces, neither Ichigo nor Rukia knew what she was talking about. She went on to elaborate.

"During the battle, Anju's power manifested itself many times. Under such circumstances, the will of her heart was multiplied, and thus, she was able to have more wide-reaching effects than any of us realized possible. From what we can tell, Kuran would not have survived had she not wanted it so deeply."

"Does that mean that Anju knows about her power?" Rukia had been curious to know this answer for quite some time.

"No. We decided that it was best not to tell her. At least, not yet. She's too young for such a heavy burden. I would appreciate it if you would not tell her either. The danger is far too great. If word of her abilities got out, I can't imagine what would happen to her. They'd want to run tests, to steal her away and use her for their own devices." The look on future Rukia's face was stunningly sad. "I'm sure you can understand my concern. I simply can't allow that to happen to my little girl."

Rukia's face reflected the same fear and concern on that of her future self. She'd already connected with Anju in much the same way a mother would with her child. Ichigo's connection was similar, although he resisted it somewhat.

"You can trust us. We'll take care of her as long as she's here." Ichigo assured both the present and future Rukia with his calm statement. This seemed to give them both the confidence to go on.

"Thank you Ichigo. I leave my precious little girl in your care."

The trio said their goodbyes and the present Rukia and Ichigo wandered back up to the baths to prepare for bed.


	31. First

**I know it's been like two weeks since I updated, but there's a good reason.**

**This chapter is very important, and is the turning point in the story. Next chapter, a lot of stuff is going to be happening quickly. Not to mention the uh…well the M rated material. Bout damn time.**

**Long chapter…twice the length of my normal chapters. But it's good, I think.**

**Enjoy!**

**Oh dear bejezus. I uploaded this chapter over a week ago and then added it to the story...only to find out today that it didn't get added. Sorry eveyone! New chapter after this to be up later this week!**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

On the way back out of the portal, a million thoughts raced through Rukia's head. Foremost in her thoughts was the fact that she'd just had an entire conversation with her future self about her future daughter. Of the many things she'd anticipated about the day, that was not even on her abundant list. She still wasn't entirely sure that it had happened.

Once safely back into her room, she changed into something a little less skimpy. It was already warm in soul society, so she decided on a loose t-shirt and a pair of thin shorts adorned in chappy the bunny. It was too late to go back into the real world, so she and Ichigo had decided to stay at the Kuchiki house tonight.

All the thoughts in her brain disappeared as soon as she heard the door open. Ichigo hadn't really improved his state of dress either. The sight of him wandering around her room in only a pair of boxers shocked the many voices in her head into silence. Only one voice was she able to hear.

_He looks incredibly sexy._

Rukia shook her head at the thought. Sure, she'd had many a thought like this, but they never really sounded so clear. She always managed to rationalize them away for more logical and coherent thoughts. But seeing him in that suit earlier must have done something to her brain. She couldn't clear her head this time.

Ichigo noticed the look on her face and asked, "Should I put on a shirt?"

"No, that's okay. It's too hot…" Rukia had recovered just in time to respond. Although the comment about the temperature wasn't only referring to the weather. Rukia sat on her bed and pulled a pillow into her chest.

"If you're sure." Ichigo shrugged and joined her on the bed. He could tell that she was worried about something, but couldn't figure out what. "What's wrong?"

Rukia rocked foreword briefly, and then backward, pondering how to best describe what she was feeling. "Do you really think we're going to be able to take care of Anju?"

Ichigo was surprised. He thought that he'd made it abundantly clear how he felt on the subject. "I'm positive." Ichigo removed the pillow from Rukia's grip and pulled her closer to him, allowing her legs to fall over his as she sat in the 'v' created by his parted legs. "You know better than to worry about anything when I am around. I promised to protect her, and I will."

Rukia felt her heart lift with his words. She was being silly, really. Nothing bad could happen to Anju with Ichigo around. He'd succeeded despite the odds so many times. And since no one knew about Anju's secret here, she'd surely be safe. "You're right. I trust you, Ichigo. Thanks for making me remember that." She pulled herself in closer to him, burying her face into his chest. His normally hot body temperature was accentuated by the heat wave now flowing over soul society

"That's what I'm here for." His heart jumped at the feel of her bare skin. Her arms had wound around his back, and he could feel ever millimeter cool skin as it pushed against his. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before tightening his arms around her in return.

Because Rukia's anxiety had been resolved, that voice in her head regained its control, and she began thinking things that she often tried to avoid. The depth of his breathing. The strength of his arms. The length of his legs. And that smell….the spicy aroma of manness. The combination was driving her insane.

Ichigo seemed to be having trouble controlling his thoughts as well. The coolness of her skin practically burned against his. The feeling was addicting, and he couldn't help but want more. He used the smallest amount of motion possible to bring her closer, and slipped one hand up under the hem of her t-shirt. He felt the tiny hairs along her lower back stand up, and heard her take in an almost inaudible breath. Satisfaction ran through him. He was amazed that he could have such an effect on her.

Rukia was just as amazed as Ichigo. Usually, she was able to simply enjoy the moment and then continue on with whatever she was doing. But something had changed during the course of the day. For some reason, she didn't want this to be like every other time. She had no intentions of stopping, and only hoped that Ichigo felt the same way.

But how would she be able to determine what he wanted? She'd never really been vocal about things like this, and neither had he, so simply asking was out of the question. No, she would need to be much sneakier about her motives. She was going to enjoy this.

Deviousness at the forefront of her thoughts, Rukia began her quest. She spent a brief second nuzzling her nose along his collar bone before replacing it with her lips. She followed the line outward toward his shoulder, bringing the arm previously around that side of his neck down, and used those fingers to leave a barely there sensation down the side of his arm. That had most certainly gotten his attention, Rukia noted, because he'd tensed up the underlying muscles, and made an audible gulp. Mischievous was most certainly one of her favorite roles to play.

Ichigo had been fighting rebellion since she'd begun her tirade. He always treaded lightly when it came to the subject of their intimacy, both because he didn't know how to even begin a conversation about it, nor how to continue one. He took many notes on how other boys treated girls, and was absolutely appalled. He'd promised himself a long time ago that he'd never be like that, and would always treat his woman with the utmost respect.

But with Rukia's lips now climbing up his neck, he found it impossible to simply ignore that voice in his head. She wanted to play like that? Well, she'll get mischievousness right back.

Before her smiling lips could reach their destination, he swept his head sideways and caught her mouth with his. She hadn't been expecting such a move, but went with it willingly. Although it meant losing control for the moment, she simply couldn't resist.

After the initial takeover, Ichigo slowed down. He didn't want either of them to be caught up in the moment and forget themselves. He began with the simplest of kisses, only barely brushing his lips across hers. But he could sense that she wanted more. Not being in the mood to refuse her anything, he used the hand not currently occupied to hold the back of her head still, and gained the leverage necessary to kiss her fully.

Rukia responded in kind, trying to gain whatever ground she could. But before she could even think to act, he'd already moved on to biting her lip. As gentle as it was, it inspired many strange feelings to bubble up in her stomach. The feelings only seemed to grow as he soothed the hot spot with his tongue. Taking advantage of his now freely roaming tongue, Rukia parted her lips, fully intending to rage war on his mouth. But once again, he was too quick for her, and slipped his tongue through her parted lips. No matter how many times he kissed her, she always tasted so good.

Once again slowing down the pace, he teasingly traced a line around the front facing of her teeth before actually diving in. It took milliseconds for his tongue to find hers, and the friction of taste buds colliding made for a wonderful sensation.

It felt so wonderful, in fact, that Ichigo felt his resolve weakening. Here, in front of him at this very moment, was the woman he loved, all soft and clean, kissing him and making those tiny noises…it was enough to kill him.

Rukia couldn't believe that Ichigo hadn't yet stopped them. He was usually the one to pull them out of such moments in an attempt to prevent future regrets. In the past, Rukia had understood, and been appreciative once the moment passed. But there was something different with her brain tonight. She'd already given up on determining the reason. Almost as if on cue, Ichigo's hands froze in their motion, and his breathing caught.

"Rukia…" the struggle was present in his voice. "We need…" His usual speech would have included something along the line of 'stop now or who knows what'll happen' but he never got the chance to finish his warning. A tiny finger had covered his lips and prevented him from saying what could be the most important sentence of his young life.

Rukia pulled her head back to look at Ichigo fully. He tried to protest, but she wasn't going to let him this time. She wanted this, and was going to make sure that he knew.

But how?

Ichigo had absolutely no idea what was going on. He knew that he should be resisting, that he should pull Rukia's finger away and tell her to tread with caution. But through the millions of thoughts that were swirling around his brain, one stood out.

Her eyes were different. Something was there that had not been there previously. The only word he could use to describe it was satisfaction. She looked so content. It was a look that he'd seen many times in the future Rukia's eyes. But what it was doing in her eyes now, he had no idea.

Or maybe he did. Maybe she actually wanted this? Could he really believe that? Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

But the way she was looking at him right now…

A smile played across Rukia's face, and confidence glowed through her features. "No, we don't _need _to do anything." The silencing finger moved from his lips to his cheek, and back into his hair. "I never said I wanted to stop…" Her eyes fell, and she couldn't hide the embarrassment she felt at actually making such a statement. She didn't think she'd ever get used to being so open about such things.

Of course, she just might change her mind with the way Ichigo reacted. She felt five strong fingers tighten their grip on her thigh, and an excited confusion appear in Ichigo's eyes. _So he does want this after all,_ she thought. But she could see a struggle there mixed in with the hope. He was trying to be rational and thoughtful for once instead of just rushing in. Why he couldn't show more constraint like this in battle, she'd never know.

Ichigo was stuck. Of course he wanted to go foreword. But he'd spent a good deal of his time protecting Rukia, and didn't want to risk being the one who ended up hurting her after all this time. His face contorted at the thought of hurting Rukia. What kind of backwards world they'd have to live in for him to do anything negative toward her…

"Ichi…" Rukia's quiet voice got his attention back. "I highly doubt I'm going to regret this, so don't hold back on my account." She hoped that this didn't sound too foreword. His opinions were just as important as hers in this, and if he didn't want this, then being so foreword might offend him.

"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" Rukia always had an affinity for reading his mind, but she always amazed him when she did it.

"Because…I know you. At least, I do when it comes to me." They were so similar; knowing herself helped her figure out his perspective on everything, especially when it concerned what he thought in relation to her.

Ichigo had to think about this for a minute. How best to respond to something like that? His decision was made by that same voice in his head.

"Well, if you can read my mind, how about you read it right now?" A suggestive eyebrow rose, crinkling his forehead on one side.

Rukia understood fully what he meant. They were ready.

Holding back no longer a thought in his mind, the hand now resting on her thigh crawled up, and under the hem of her shorts. Mischievousness gained a new ground in his attitude, and he allowed Rukia only a tiny glimpse of it before moving in to kiss her once more. The restraint he'd previously shown had evaporated, and the intensity of his feelings finally shone through.

Using a single arm, he pulled Rukia across the remaining distance between them, leaving no space between their bodies. Her legs instinctually wrapped around his waist, and she realized just how much of an effect she had on him. Her inner thigh met with what she soon realized was a rather profound erection. Under normal circumstances, she would have blushed, and felt rather embarrassed. But at present, it only served to heighten the passion she felt.

She felt a finger creep up under her t-shirt, followed by another. Ichigo's other hand wandered down to the hem as well, and a chill fell over Rukia's back. She felt the familiar fabric of her soft cotton shirt leave her skin, one inch at a time. Her arms, seemingly on their own, lifted up and allowed Ichigo to remove the shirt. The cool air chilled her exposed skin for less than a second, but her goosebumps remained. The warmth of Ichigo's skin against hers actually made the tiny bumps worse.

Rukia had never really thought about her body in detail before. It enabled her to fight, and that was really all she really cared about. But with the way Ichigo was looking at her right now, she suspected that she'd missed something all this time. His eyes were wandering over the curves of her chest hungrily. He really had been holding back all this time. His gaze leveled once again with hers, and with the tiniest of smiles, he reached up, and slid a thumb over the soft flesh of her breast. Her eyes closed and a murmur of a moan crept up her throat.

Ichigo silenced her with his lips. He expanded his range, taking the entire breast in his palm. Immediately he noticed how well his hand contoured the flesh, how well it filled this hand. And the weight seemed so perfect, so real.

Ichigo leaned foreword, holding Rukia to ensure that she fell gently onto the bed behind her. He untangled their legs and lay down on top of her, making sure not to put too much weight on her tiny body. He brushed the bangs from her forehead, and left a tiny peck on her lips before traversing the line of her jaw. He felt her chest rise underneath him at a more rapid pace as he neared the smooth divot behind her ear. He simply could not get close enough to her to satisfy the pressing need he felt.

As much as Rukia was enjoying herself, she refused to let Ichigo take total control. One tiny hand pressed against his chest, and wandered across the strong muscles resting just beneath his skin. The other traced a line down the center of his spine. It was his turn to have goosebumps, and she felt his lips falter against her neck. He continued to tease the sensitive skin along her collar bone, however, so Rukia decided that a more foreword action was needed.

Both hands worked their way south, leaving tiny marks with their nails as they went. Eventually, they found purchase with the elastic band of his boxers. The action took Ichigo by surprise, but he didn't stop her. In fact, he encouraged her actions by scooting up closer, and nipping at her skin carefully. Before she could remove them, he dipped down again and trailed his lips over one of her breasts. He couldn't let her have _all_ the control.

His plan worked. Her hands relaxed and she became terribly distracted. Such warmth against skin that normally stayed tucked away behind her clothes. How odd it felt. But odd was not bad by any definition.

While his mouth worked over the soft mound, his hands traipsed over the skin of Rukia's stomach. How she kept her skin so soft, he had no idea. He flinched once as his fingers found the round scars she'd received from that horrible espada. But this was no time for guilt. If anything, now was a time to make up for having left her alone back then.

He funneled all of his love for her into this one night.

Without hesitating, he took advantage of her total distraction and did exactly what she'd been trying to do to him. He hooked a finger around the elastic band of her shorts, and tugged the cloth down as his tongue found her already stiffened nipple. The action caused her to gasp, but she was too far gone to stop him.

Ichigo caught the edge of her underwear as he pulled the fabric of her shorts down. He decided in that instant that there really was no going back. He smiled against the skin of her stomach, and removed the pair of coverings from her lower body.

What he saw next could only be described as the most brilliant sight in the history of seeing.

He'd never thought of Rukia as delicate before. She fought him with fervor, killed all kinds of demons, and often beat him in everyday things. She was tough, and could not be thought of as anything less than resilient. But right now, she seemed just as feminine as every other girl he knew.

The delicate curve of her hip, the firmness of her bottom, the length of her thin thighs; every part of her was beautiful. But Rukia had noticed his engagement with staring, and knew that this was her chance. She moved with a speed previously unknown, and rolled him over. He barely even noticed, and she was able to remove his shorts in much the same manner that he'd removed hers.

His sudden nakedness became evident to his very distracted mind when Rukia crawled on top of him. He immediately reached for her, missing the physical connection they'd lost in the process. She leaned down at his silent request and began to kiss him once more. He pulled her down against him with two strong arms, refusing to simply let her take over.

But Rukia was too fast for him. She removed her lips from his and followed the same trail he had earlier. She pulled his earlobe between her teeth and nibbled on it gently. But Ichigo simply wouldn't allow this to continue. His heart was racing, and his cock had become unbearably hard. With one simple movement, he overpowered Rukia and rolled them both over, taking their previous position.

Before she could protest he captured her hands with one of his, and held them. With his free hand, he crept down to previously unexplored territory. His strong fingers met with her wet folds. The moisture already present surprised him. Everywhere he traveled he felt wet, smooth skin. It was then that he realized how valuable the internet was. His dad had tried to tell him about sex many times, but Ichigo had always knocked him unconscious before he was able to say much.

And thus, he'd turned to the internet to learn that which he would eventually need to know. And right now, that information was priceless. He found what he was looking for with ease. With the tip of his finger, he rolled over the tiny nubbin of flesh he'd only ever read about. Even a simple motion like that had profound effects on Rukia. Her legs twitched together, and her hands grasped at the sheets. Ichigo calmed her with a kiss, and carried on. He used his middle finger to part her folds and find his true goal. He traced the outside rim of her warmth and slid in a single finger.

Rukia's lips pulled away from his and she gasped for air. Her eyes shut tight, and she moaned an "Ichi..." But he could tell that she didn't want him to stop. He moved the digit out, and back in again. A fresh flood of liquid covered the finger, and Ichigo decided that now was the time. He removed his finger and moved to the area between her legs.

With one last glance into Rukia's eyes, Ichigo lowered himself against her, and rubbed the very end of his erection against her moisture. With a bracing breath, he slid inside of her. He felt every single ripple of texture along the way, and almost lost his mind in the process. Rukia simply tried to regulate her breathing.

Ichigo stayed entirely still for some time. He didn't want to hurt her by taking things to fast. When her breathing had leveled out, he brushed his lips against hers and began to move once again. The intensity of the sensations now plaguing him was mirrored in his kiss. He released Rukia's hands and used his hands to cover as much of her body as possible. Every inch of skin he covered stayed with him, and he memorized the curves of her body.

But Ichigo's resilience was beginning to wane. He could feel that he was going to lose himself soon. Fortunately, he could tell that Rukia was in much the same state. He released Rukia's lips and allowed his head to fall next to hers, his cheek rubbing hers. The speed of his thrusts increased, and with a deep grunt, he felt the pressure in his throbbing cock release. Around him, he felt Rukia's textured walls tighten and loosen in time with his final, slow thrusts. Exhausted, and more than fulfilled, Ichigo kissed Rukia's forehead and gently removed himself from her core. He took less than a minute to calm himself before reaching for Rukia again. The separation was too much, and he felt the need to be close to her. His arm fumbled around her waist and he pulled her still rapidly rising chest against his.

"I love you, Rukia." His arms squeezed her with all the strength he had left.

"I love you too." Rukia said through deep breaths. She snuggled into Ichigo's embrace and quickly fell asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few rooms down the hall, Anju lay curled up in her sheets, fast asleep. In the corner, a shadow stood, watching. Dressed in all white, and carrying a long staff, he frowned at the little girl. Having made sure that she was asleep, he stepped closer to her. He held out his staff and chanted something in an unusual language, causing the gem in his staff to light up. Anju remained asleep, and entirely unaware that anyone was in her room.

With a quick swing of the staff, both Anju and the stranger vanished from the room, leaving nothing behind but an Anju-shaped divot in the bed.


	32. To the future

**At last, i've found the internet! It got hooked up at my boy's new house so i'm able to post this at last!**

0000000000000

Purple.

The thought foremost in Anju's mind was that everything was far too purple. And Anju hated purple.

Opening her eyes to determine the source of the offensive color, Anju noticed that something was off. If this was a dream, it was far too real. She could feel the wind, she had goosebumps on her arms, and her stomach felt like it had been transplanted into her throat. And she absolutely never dreamed in the color purple.

It was then that she noticed her companion. A man that appeared to be the same age as her uncle, bearing a long staff and a rather bored look stood next to her, his hair waving in the unexplained breeze.

Well, standing would be incorrect. What they were doing was more like free falling. There was no floor in this strange tube, and no ceiling. But the walls were an obscenely bright purple that looked like it would electrocute anyone who got too close.

"Don't try to escape. It won't end well." The man spoke for the first time. Anju didn't even bother listening, though, and began planning her escape.

OOOOOOOO

The sun had been up for no longer than an hour when Rukia awoke. She immediately tried to roll over in an attempt to get up and close the curtains, but felt a weight across her stomach. Reality decided to take its place in her thoughts, and she realized that Ichigo's arm was draped around her. A series of images flew through her mind and caused her to blush. Remembering how terribly naked she was, she grabbed at the ground to find some article of clothing, but was tugged back by Ichigo's arm. She struggled only briefly before simply giving in and allowing herself to be rolled up against Ichigo's equally naked body.

"Don't you dare cloth yourself, woman." He was obviously still half asleep, but Rukia didn't even consider defying him. "And good morning." He pulled her as close to him as possible, and buried his nose in her sloppy hair.

"Good morning." Rukia's embarrassment faded, and she gained a sense of comfort due to the waves of satisfaction coming from Ichigo.

Silence came over them for some time, and Rukia thought for a moment that Ichigo had fallen back asleep until she heard his stomach. "How does breakfast sound?" Rukia could feel his smile against her forehead.

"Perfect." She was hungry too, and could only imagine what Anju had cooked up. Sunday mornings were always Rukia's favorites around Anju. Usually, she made some of everything, and it all tasted delicious. Ichigo kissed her once on the forehead and allowed her to get up at last. Rukia noticed him glancing at her as she dressed many times, but could only ever feel happiness as opposed to the normal embarrassment.

But their bliss would be cut short prematurely. The second Rukia opened her door, she was met by the cold face of her brother.

"Good morning Rukia. Have you talked to Anju today?" Byakuya's abruptness startled her, but she pulled herself together to respond.

"No, have you checked in the kitchen?" It wasn't like Anju to disappear.

"That was the first place I looked, seeing as how it is Sunday. But none of the staff have seen her, and there is no sign of breakfast." The disappointment in Byakuya's face was very evident. Apparently he'd gotten used to having delicious food on a defined schedule. "I would check in her room myself, but I thought it far more appropriate for a female to do so. Let me know if you find her, I'll be checking elsewhere." And with that, he was off.

Rukia nodded to Ichigo and wandered down the hall with him in tow. She tried knocking, and calling out to Anju, but got no response. Worry started to mount when she realized that she could not feel Anju's riatsu. Having no other options, she opened the door to the little girl's bedroom and went inside. Nothing seemed amiss, and Anju's sheets were nice and orderly like always. But in the middle of the carpet was a giant circle of singed fibers on the rug.

Not really willing to allow herself to consider the worst, Rukia suggested that she and Ichigo check Anju's secret hideout. Her riatsu had been distorted even when they were inside the portal, so maybe she could be there.

But when they arrived in the little house, Anju was nowhere to be found. They decided upon searching the fields when a noise sounded behind them. The future Rukia's hologram formed in front of them.

In a state she'd never been seen in before, the future Rukia paced in front of the monitor. When she saw that Rukia and Ichigo were present, she launched at her monitor, and started speaking at the speed of light.

"Rukia! Is Anju with you? Please tell me she's with you! There was a time fluctuation this morning, and I felt her riatsu for a moment. Please, she must be with you…" The desperation in Rukia's voice scared all who heard it. Although fear was amply present, a threatening tone warned of her seriousness.

"No, I'm so sorry, she's not here. We haven't been able to find her all morning. What does this mean?" Ichigo set a supporting hand on Rukia's shoulder, hoping to prevent her from going into hysterics like her future counterpart.

"I have no idea." Future Rukia covered her face with her hands, and took in a steady breath.

Across the lab room in the future, someone cleared their throat. "Would someone mind taking this cold metal object out of my spleen?" Anju stood in the doorway, her clothes torn, blood seeping through what was left. The second she finished her statement, her eyes rolled up and her knees buckled. Fortunately, Kuran was right behind her, and managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

The future Rukia moved so fast that all present were sure she had teleported. She was at Anju's side before anyone else had even truly reacted. She helped Kuran lie Anju down on a nearby bed and tried to wake her up. But the child was out cold, and could do nothing more than whimper.

An older Captain Unohana appeared in the doorway, blood already covering her clothing. She took a breath and walked to Anju's side, shaking her head as she went. Rukia's eyes never left her injured daughter as she listened to what the captain had to say.

"She's fine, Rukia. At the very least, she's far better off than her attacker." Unohana began laboring over the slowly bleeding hole in Anju's side. "Any of the twelve pieces of him…"

That statement got Rukia's attention. Her head snapped up in shock. "What did you say?"

"Our dear little prodigy here managed to take out the last remaining Time Weaver." Unohana removed the pointy half of a silver knife from the tiny girl's stomach and dove back in to stem the bleeding. "Had every last piece of him brought to the morgue before wandering here and collapsing. She did manage so send me a hell butterfly, though. Why she didn't just stay put…" The captain shook her head.

"But…the Time Weavers…I thought they were all destroyed during the winter war." Rukia relaxed against the bed, allowing the new information to sink in.

"No, one survived. His name was Garj. He was the top Weaver under Aizen. From what I can tell, he didn't do this on his own." At last, the wound was closed and Unohana bandaged Anju up.

"Um, would someone mind explaining what's going on?" The room in the future had completely forgotten that Rukia and Ichigo were standing in front of their monitor, watching everything from afar. "And what is a Time Weaver?"

Kuran moved from his place beside Anju and began to fill the people of the past in. "Time Weavers were created by Aizen near the end of his reign. We didn't know about them until many years later, which is probably why you haven't heard of them." He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Anju was still okay "They have the ability to cross through time, though there are limits."

"Well Unohana said there was only one left. What happened to them all?" Ichigo's mind, as usual, was able to recover and process faster than Rukia's.

"Most of them were defective. Aizen only mastered the technique just before the war, and the few who were created then decided not to follow him. He killed all but the one named Garj. For years, we've been trying to find him, but he's been in hiding ever since the war." Anju whimpered from across the room as the doctor rolled her, causing Kuran to turn in distress.

The future Ichigo, who had been standing silently next to Rukia the whole time, patted Kuran on the back. "I'll take over, son." Kuran gave Ichigo a grateful look and hurried back over to his unconscious best friend.

"Essentially, what this all means, is that we need to ask for your help once again. We need you two to come here, to the future." His statement caught everyone off guard, including his wife.

"What are you going on about? They can't come here!" Rukia barked from Anju's bedside, irritation nowhere present in her voice.

"Of course they can. The time gem is still in their time, remember? They can use it to get here in minutes." Ichigo smiled over his shoulder at his befuddled wife, rocking up on his toes and then back to his heels, incredibly satisfied with himself.

"Don't we get a say in this?" The present Rukia asked in a quiet voice.

"No." Both Ichigos responded in unison, making everyone within earshot cringe.

"The gem is in that box over there." Ichigo pointed to a small cube near the communicator. "Take it out and do exactly what I say." The future Ichigo gave a long list of complicates steps, which the present Ichigo followed in stride. Rukia, although still very shaken up, summoned a hell butterfly to notify her brother and the captain commander of what was going on.

Within minutes, the pair had opened up a portal to the future. With one last glance at their surroundings, they stepped into the purple tunnel and disappeared, leaving behind all they knew.


	33. Inconsiderate

**I'd just like to say thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers! You guys make my heart go all whooshy, and enable me to continue writing.**

**Happy Halloween! Technically the only holiday i celebrate (with the exception of the Renaissance festival lol)**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For the second time today, Anju woke up to a bright light. Only this time, the light was a pointed white beam. Her first thought came to her lips before she could even think about it. "How inconsiderate. People are trying to sleep here." And with that, she rolled over.

Her face met something hard, smooshing her nose in. At the same time she became acutely aware that her side hurt very much. Hoping that she would not regret it, she opened her eyes.

A robed boy sat in front of her, his leg being the cause of her facial discomfort. But a flash of the same blinding white light caught her eyes and she looked up to see Kuran staring down at her with bemusement. His glasses were reflecting the light of the many machines whirring about around the room. It took many silent moments to remember what had happened.

"Anju dear!" Her mother's voice came from behind, and she felt two tiny arms curl around her and pull her backwards. Rukia's face came into view and Anju couldn't help but smile. With the exception of Kuran, Rukia was Anju's best friend. No matter the circumstances, Anju was glad to see her mother again.

"Mama!" Anju avoided squishing her injured side as she turned to her mother. Rukia pulled her into her arms and let go the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I'm sorry mom, I should have just stayed with…that thing. But I just couldn't wait to see you and…" Rukia cut her off.

"Forget about it. All that matters is that you're safe." Ichigo appeared behind his wife and sat down.

"Your mom's right, kiddo. We're just glad to have you back." Anju felt tears forming in her eyes and crawled, carefully, into her father's arms. After taking time to appreciate the warmth and comfort that her family brought, she looked up to see Kuran gazing at her still. She knew that look very well.

After kissing her father on the cheek, she left his arms and moved down the bed toward her friend. He'd suddenly found the string on his captain's jacket very interesting.

Anju thought for a moment. Deciding that words really stood no chance of meaning much of anything, she went with action. As was her trademark, she simply crawled into his lap. He sat there for a brief moment, contemplating the meaning in her actions. She hadn't meant to greet him last, but her parents would have been offended if she hadn't gone to them first. Relieved, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Their connection was instantly re-forged.

"Anju…" Her mother's voice came from across the room once again. But it sounded different. Wrong, almost. Worried, she sat up and glanced around. Her mother still sat two feet away, obviously not the one who spoke. Turning more, she saw Rukia and Ichigo standing across the room, smiling but looking a bit confused. Her head spun and she took a moment to make sure that she was not simply dreaming or seeing double.

No, she most certainly was not dreaming. And there was only one of her and Kuran, so she must be seeing clearly. "Okay, so before I explode my brain…what's going on?"

"It's a long story. But it doesn't matter right now. How do you feel?" Kuran wiped the stray orange hair from Anju's face and inspected it closely.

"I'm fine. I knew that I was fine, that's why I came here instead of waiting for Unohana. So someone please tell me what's going on?" Anju hated when people fretted over her.

"Okay, but if you start to feel bad, let us know." Kuran knew Anju hated attention like this, and changed the subject. "Ichigo and Rukia have come here from the past to help us keep you safe. We're on the trail of your kidnappers, but we need to know what happened to you. It'll help us figure things out…"

Anju thought back to her ordeal, and began her story.

"I woke up in a time tube. There was this guy there, wearing white robes that looked almost like those that the espada wore. He looked really bored…and he told me not to try to escape. But I figured listening to one of Aizen's followers wasn't the best idea, so I waited until we were inside soul society to act. Wherever he was taking me was within our time. It looked like we were heading to Hueco Mundo, but I'm not completely sure." Anju tried to remember the correct series of events, but things became somewhat foggy after she'd broken the time barrier.

"That man was named Garj. He was a time-weaver, kiddo." Ichigo pulled a device out of his pocket and turned it on. Within seconds, he'd pulled up a picture of the man and showed Anju. "This is him, right?"

"Yeah, that's the guy." Anju had heard of the time weavers only because she'd been raised by two of the most informed shinigami in soul society. "I saw that we were headed through soul society on our way to wherever, so I decided to break the time-barrier when we got there. The look on that guy's face was priceless!" Anju giggled a little at the memory.

"When all the smoke had cleared, we'd landed outside of the 5'th squad barracks. We were far enough away to not hurt anyone, so I decided to just fight him." She paused to consider something. "But why didn't anyone come?" Forlorn wasn't even a good enough description of Anju's sudden facial expression. She'd been fighting; her riatsu had been very high, so why had no one found them?

"Oh, honey, we had no idea you were even here! We felt your riatsu for a fraction of a second, but we couldn't tell where you were." Rukia looked like she was in pain. The thought of disappointing her beloved daughter in any way broke her heart.

"Did anyone at all feel my riatsu? I mean, surely someone must have…" Anju tried to feel relieved, but the thought of not being able to be felt made her feel like she'd died.

"Something must have happened with the time transfer. We can feel your riatsu now, so maybe it was just trailing behind." Ichigo couldn't stand feeling so lost and helpless. But more than that, he hated his own child feeling that way. "We'll figure it out. Go on with your story, sweetheart."

"I felt kind of lost for a while. I could see that we had landed, and where we were but my power wasn't _with_ me. Like I was asleep with my eyes open. That's when he stabbed me. I guess he figured that if he damaged me a little, he could restart the time tube and take me the rest of the way without a struggle." Anju frowned at the memory. Who on earth would do something like that to a child?

Kuran's face contracted in anger. This Garj person obviously didn't care about what happened, so long as he completed his mission. The time weavers were said to be oblivious to others' pain, but this was pushing it. He tightened his arms around her, trying to reassure himself as well as her as to her safety.

"When the pain hit, so did everything else. I regained control, and the pain sharpened my senses. He tried to fight, but I guess I was too fast. His staff was strong, but it couldn't withstand more than a few blows from my sword." She smiled, proud of herself. "He underestimated me severely. It took less than a minute to kill him."

"And how exactly did you manage to leave him in multiple pieces?" Kuran was curious. Anju had never had much interest in _hurting_ people. She was the least violent person he knew.

"Oh, that. Well I didn't mean to…" she felt guilty for having decimated her opponent so thoroughly. "It was his fault. He tried to time travel at the last minute, so we ended up in a very badly put together time spiral. I only actually swung once, but his body was moving so fast that he caught the blade many times." She hadn't meant to kill him. After all, he could have told them first hand why he'd kidnapped Anju.

"Well, good riddance." Kuran grunted, not really caring as long as Anju was safe. He reigned in his behavior once he saw the sincere guilt on her features.

"So, what exactly does this have to do with Ichigo and Rukia being here?" Anju's mind had yet to come up with any ideas on the topic.

"Well, we couldn't just leave the time gem in the past, could we? And besides, now you have two of me protecting you!" Ichigo laughed lightheartedly and Rukia gave him a silly look.

"They're here to help, Anju. We need as much of that as we can get." Rukia's eyes tightened and she became very serious. "Whoever sent that Weaver after you obviously has big plans. We need to figure out what they're up to before you get hurt again."

That satisfied Anju for the moment. She was happy that she now had both her parents _and_ her good friends around. Plus, having Kuran around was definitely a relief. Before she could even tell anyone how very happy she was, she drifted off to sleep in Kuran's arms.

OOOOOOOOOO

Rukia had never known a shower to be more comforting than the one she was taking now. As it turned out, traveling through time was no easy task. For some reason her arms ached, and the hot water crashing down from above was a welcome distraction. She'd been standing there for at least five minutes, simply enjoying the moment when she heard something odd.

She froze, almost entirely sure that she'd heard a wet footstep somewhere. But this was the women's showers, so whoever it was must be another member of the future Rukia's team. Shrugging her impulses aside, she reached out an arm to grab for the shampoo.

She was expecting to meet with the cold wall of the ceramic shower. Instead, she felt a rough warmth against her hand. She didn't even need to turn around to know exactly who it was.

She had every intention of turning and quacking at him about how inappropriate this was. She even considered poking him in the chest with a finger like always. But the second she managed to turn, she saw Ichigo's face, and all prior plans failed.

"Good evening." The look of lust in his eyes was not lost on her. In fact, it caused a chain reaction. She felt entirely unable to move, held in place by his fierce gaze.

"Ichi…" She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say, but he spared her the effort of trying to figure it out. His lips cut her off before she could even say his name. But he wasn't forceful by any means. In fact, he was being terribly gentle. Rukia was instantly reminded of their first kiss.

Ichigo's hands came foreword, and he pulled Rukia into a strong embrace. The day had been trying at best. Plus, he'd had to watch Rukia walk around all afternoon, blushing and confused. He didn't know how he'd lasted as long as he did. Such behavior coming from Rukia of all people made her beyond attractive.

Memories of the day, and the night before, rushed through his mind. Without even having to think, he deepened the kiss, taking Rukia by surprise. Her sudden intake of breath excited him even more, but he withheld the urge to simply do as he wanted.

He felt Rukia's tongue trailing along his bottom lip. She made it so difficult to not simply give in. As their tongues found one another, Rukia made could only be described as a longing whimper. Without knowing it, she'd sealed her own fate. That one tiny noise tore away the final layers of Ichigo's resolve.

Rukia's back met with the cold ceramic as her front met with Ichigo's impossibly warm chest. Though Rukia rarely _liked_ the cold, the contrast was blissful. She didn't even have time to register the full impact of her feelings before more were created. Time sped up, and it felt like mere seconds passed over the long minutes Ichigo spent exploring her face and neck with his scorching lips.

She might have completely lost herself had she not heard Ichigo make an almost growling sound deep in his chest. Her hand had inadvertently fallen from his chest to his abdomen. Ichigo repeated a mantra in his mind: I will not lose control.

But at that very moment, Rukia's seemingly wandering hand fell lower and brushed against his almost painful erection. He had to stop this. He had snuck into the showers to woo her, to maybe shower with her, and possibly end up having a repeat of the previous night. But it seemed like he'd been waiting an eternity to be with her, and she was just so enticing…

He pushed her closer to the wall, and she curled a single tiny thigh around his hip. He let out a ragged breath, intent on at least getting back to a bed before fulfilling his desires. But her voice brought him out of his concentration.

"Ichi…" He looked up to meet her gaze, almost embarrassed that he'd actually allowed them to get this far in the middle of her shower. Her eyes told a different story, however. Her face mirrored what he assumed to be his expression, and she said without speaking that she, too, wanted this. With renewed calm, Ichigo returned to kissing Rukia once more.

Rukia's leg managed to wind its way around to the back of Ichigo's thigh before he grabbed it and held it up. He grabbed the other shortly after and used the ceramic to brace Rukia as he tumbled into her once more. He had assumed that since the previous night had been a first for both of them that things could only get better. The feelings now taking over proved that to be a dramatic understatement. He was far less nervous, and was therefore able to feel the full brunt of passion he'd missed out on slightly before.

The angle and friction took far more of a toll on them than they realized, and Ichigo had to set Rukia down afterwards to simply stay standing. But once he regained his composure, he remembered the whole reason for being in the shower in the first place.

He detangled a limb from Rukia's and grabbed around behind him for the blue loofa Rukia had been looking for shortly before he'd assaulted her. He lathered it up and began to wash the day from Rukia's flushed skin.

"We should do this more often." Rukia sighed, finally reaching complete relaxation after her stressful day. Ichigo simply laughed quietly and left a kiss on her cheek before agreeing wholeheartedly.


End file.
